


All Bark, No Bite

by Bansheeava



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Smut, Will Add More Later, i'm terrible with tags, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-22 22:26:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9628004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bansheeava/pseuds/Bansheeava
Summary: The scent had always seemed wrong, always made Lance sniff just a little harder, something in him telling him this wasn’t right. The smell always came off of his classmate and proclaimed rival, a fellow Alpha at Altea High.





	1. Week One, Start!

The two story house was filled with the scent of love, of family, of pack. It was a comforting scent, one that always filled his senses when Lance woke in the morning. Through the blinds, the soft glow of dawn filtered in from the window. The lingering warm weather of September was calling to him, begging for him to leave the warmth of his bed. His body only snuggled further in, face nuzzling against the softness of his pillow. It just seemed so easy to drift back into dreamland, to forget reality, and to linger just a little longer onto the remainders of his dream.

Mariana McClain, was what prevented him from doing so.

"Now, I know I didn't raise such a lazy pup."

Her small hands curled, fingers grasping onto the edges of his comforter, giving it a swift tug and uncovering long, tan limbs. The chill of being uncovered brought goosebumps to his flesh, teeth clenching and hands reaching out, trying to search out the covers before they were out of reach. He pressed his face a little harder into his pillow, giving a whine.

The woman placed her hands onto wide hips, dark blue eyes looking down at her son. Like the rest of her children, Lance was anything but a morning riser. He'd much rather sleep until noon, and then if he could, he'd probably spend the rest of his days lounging out on a nice, sunny beach. But, the nearest beach was still about an hour drive out, and the chilling approach of October kept most people away.

Short legs took her over to his closet, tugging the door open and being greeted with the smells of dirty clothes. A look was shot over her shoulder, over to where limbs were beginning to stretch out. With a huff, she reached inside, pushing aside shirts, hoodies, and jackets in search of clothes.

With his own huff, Lance turned his head away from his pillow, blue eyes blinking awake as he took in the surroundings of his bedroom. Dark blue walls, various posters, old childhood memories that came back whenever he took in his room. The scratched marks into the doorway, reading off the different heights of the McClain siblings. Behind him, the wall against his bed held a dent where his head hit during a small scrap with his older sister.

Blue eyes sought out his mother, a frown coming to his face as he watched the short woman rooting through his clothes. "Ma, I can dress myself."

Snorting, she let her fingers gently tug a gray, long sleeved shirt off a hanger. It smelled like laundry detergent, and she deemed it clean enough for him to dress into. The logo on the front was unfamiliar to her, something a teenage boy would understand, but not something a mother of five would. Not unless she pestered, and asked, and was probably explained within hours of it's connection to some TV show, or band.

"In what?" She asked, her bare toes brushing against pants and shirts that had been carelessly tossed inside the closet. "The dirty clothes piling up in the corner, or this stuff you have shoved in here?"

She could smell sweat, greasy food, the lingering scents of deodorant and cologne. But, under those smells, she could tell that the clothes hadn't been cleaned, had been worn and then forgotten.

Bending, her hands quickly scooped the clothes up and under her arm. Once she'd gathered everything she could carry, she turned, tossing the clean t-shirt in the direction of the bed. In a swift movement, Lance was catching it, eyes scanning over the material. It was then followed by a gray pair of skinny jeans, and clean white socks. A few more articles of clothing were gathered up, a pile held in her arms.

"Dress."

The command was given, before Mariana made her exit from the teenage bedroom. It wasn't until he heard the click of the door being shut, did Lance finally slip out of the clothes he had slept in. Worn clothes were dropped, starting a new collection on the floor that his mother had just cleared.

Yawning, he stretched his arms out, his toes curling and uncurling. When he arched his back, he couldn't help but give a noise of satisfaction as his back gave a small crack. Bare shoulders rolled, fingers ruffling through hair as the lingering traces of sleep were peeled away from his body. As much as his bed called for him, he knew there was no point to it now. Not when he could hear the rest of his family slowly becoming alert, also having been woken up by their mother.

Only bits and pieces remained of the dream he'd been woken from, and like a puzzle, he almost wanted to crawl back under the covers and put the pieces back together. He wanted to return to the dream, but if he didn't leave his room soon, there was no doubt that someone would be sent to retrieve him.

 

The floorboards creaked as he slipped off his bed, feet planting down onto the cool floor.

* * *

 

 

"Hey, thanks for the ride."

Grinning, Lance couldn't help but reach his hand out, fingers ruffling through the short hair on his brother's head. There was a brief pout, before hands were shoving his own away and moving to flatten down the hairs. As they entered through the doors of Altea High, the younger sibling gave a small wave, parting away from his brother and moving down the hallway. Lance watched, body feeling contented with the closeness of family.

Julian was two years younger, but the two could almost look like twins. Both had the same, tall, lanky build. But, the younger boy was maybe an inch shorter, with their fathers almond colored brown eyes.

And, there was also the fact that Julian was a Beta, and Lance was the only Alpha out of his five siblings. Their older sister had presented as an Omega, and the two youngest, twin girls, had also presented as Beta's.

Being the Alpha of the family put a lot of weight on his shoulders, making Lance feel a little more pressured. Most looked to him as the head of the household, looked at him as the one who was suppose to lead and control his siblings. Alpha reputation, you could say. Some assumption that had been made, some status that you were suppose to uphold.

Lance felt far from an Alpha.

 

Shaking away those thoughts, Lance adjusted his grip on the strap to his backpack, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

The halls were filled with many scents, scents of Alpha, of Beta, of the barely there scent of Omega. Within the many scents, Lance could pick out a few familiar ones. The last traces of his brother, and, the closer he got to his locker, he could pick up another scent of Beta. One that was familiar, of comfort and a shoulder to lean on when things got rough.

Standing by his locker stood a large boy, his dark hair pushed away from his face by a yellow headband. As Lance approached, he watched the boy look up, away from his phone, and turning his gaze onto his friend. The look of happiness, the pure joy quickly wiped away the thoughts that Lance had previously been thinking. That familiar scent of his best friend made him perk up, tail surely wagging if he had one.

"Heee~y buddy!"

Meeting up at his locker, Lance brought his fist up, bumping it against his friends and the two making explosion noises when their fists met. Chuckles erupted after, the two easing into a relaxed atmosphere. Some of their classmates looked, but others, use to their actions, continued about their business.

"Alright, so, I know we hung out all week. But man, Hunk, I missed you." Lance announced.

Chuckling, Hunk pressed the small stack of books he was holding against his hip. "I missed you too."

If there was a way to describe someones scent, Lance would have to say that Hunk's almost made him think of a homey feeling, of being around family and taking in the smell of fresh cookies being baked. It was the smell that had first introduced the two as children, when Hunk had given him one of his cookies during lunch, and Lance had quickly dubbed him his best friend. They'd been practically inseparable, the two best friends for years. Hell, Lance planned to have Hunk be his best friend for the rest of his life.

He couldn't imagine a life without Hunk, the boy feeling like another part of his pack.

A smile was unmoving from his face, his fingers swiftly twisting at the lock so that he could open his locker. His backpack was hung inside, a small stack of books on a shelf glanced over. Two books were plucked from the pile, the rest left to sit until the next time he'd stop at his locker.

Shifting from one foot to the other, Hunk angled his body so he could lean against the neighboring locker. "How mad was she?"

The sudden question makes him pause, before memories of the previous night come back to him. His moves falter, before he tries to play it off like it's not something that had been bothering him. He gives a chuckle, closing up his locker and twisting the dial to lock it up before his attention returns to his best friend. "On like, a scale of one to ten, she was at a twenty."

Mariana didn't make many rules for her children, she trusted them enough to know that she didn't have to worry. But, she was still a protective mother, sometimes a little overprotective when it came to her offspring. There had always been a curfew set for school nights, and Lance was always on the edge of trouble when it came to curfew.

Last night, he'd ended up an hour and a half late for curfew.

 

Sunday was usually just a guys night, where Hunk and Lance would hang out at one of their houses. Sunday nights choice had been Hunk's, where the two boy's had spent most of it playing video games. Three rounds of Street Fighter, some cheating in Mario Kart (a lot of elbow nudges, controllers snatched out of hands, maybe at one point Lance had licked all over Hunk's controller, covering it in his saliva.)

Then the two had driven out to the nearest McDonald's, where they engorged on 20 dollars worth of greasy food in the parking lot.

The curfew of 11 had been forgotten, and the boy had stumbled into his house at almost one in the morning.

Only to be greeted with the scent of anger, of disappointment. Even now, he could remember his mother's voice, thick with her accent as she scolded him for coming in late. Making him feel more and more worse as she expressed her worries, that she had feared something happened to him when he hadn't even bothered to call and explain being late.

If he had ears, they'd have been flat against his skull. And if he had a tail, it would have been tucked between his legs.

"Ouch." Hunk flinched at the thought.

"Yeah, she was pissed."

Understanding, the larger boy nodded, reaching out to give Lance a comforting pat on the shoulder. He had seen firsthand how protective Mrs. McClain was of her children, especially when it came to her oldest two. Maybe it was because they were her oldest, or maybe it was because Lance was an Alpha, and her oldest, Rylie, was an Omega.

Lance's smile was brief, shoulder shrugging off his hold. The smell coming off of him was sign enough, Lance was still upset about it.

They both could understand her anger, and Hunk knew that Lance hated it when he let his mother down. That even if the woman's anger never lasted long, he'd be beating himself up about it for the next few days. If there was one thing Lance cared about most, it was his family. And to know that he'd disappointed his mother, that for a brief moment, he was letting her down. Well, that left Lance in a small depression that he tried hard to hide away from the world.

The lingering scent of anger would make him want to make the woman breakfast in bed, to do a few more chores around the house, anything that would try to make up for his slip-up.

"Her birthday is coming soon," It was a statement, but a fact Hunk already knew. "I'll just have to get her something extra special-"

The sentence trailed off, pupils dilating and nostrils flaring as a smell approached. The silence made Hunk raise a questioning eyebrow, before he caught a figure of dark move past the two of them from the corner of his eye. It was a quick realization on what had made his friend stop talking, and Hunk could only hope that his friend wouldn't try to cause any issues. The school week had just started, and he didn't want to go through the rest of the week listening to his best friend try to pick a fight with their classmate.

The scent always made Lance stop, always caught the boy's attention and take it away from whatever he was doing.

Blue eyes looked around, past his friend, watching a boy with dark hair as he moved to stop at his own locker. Hair was tied back, messily pulled into a ponytail, a few strands hanging free to frame a face. The jacket on him was a little big, the sleeves almost covering his hands, but Lance could see the glimpse of black, fingerless gloves as they moved to input the code on his lock.

His scent was Alpha, but something about it was different. It was a smell Lance always questioned, something that just screamed fake in the back of his mind.

"Lance, you're staring."

The words didn't make him look away, going ignored as Lance continued to watch the other boy. Groaning, Hunk reached with his free hand, grabbing onto the back of his friend's jacket and giving it a small tug. It made his body jerk a little, but his eyes were still glued onto the other student.

"He's going to notice, he already thinks you're some kind of creep."

It was like the boy knew Hunk was talking about him, his head turning, dark eyes scanning until they met with Lance's. His face shifted into a scowl, eyebrows furrowing as he glared in their direction. Wanting to press his palm into his face and hide away, Hunk gave Lance's jacket another sharp tug. "Laance."

A pale, middle finger was held up towards the tan boy.

Jerking at the action, Lance growled, bringing his own hand up and aiming his own middle finger in retaliation.

If looks could kill, Hunk was sure his friend would have died a long time ago.

Getting a better grip of the jacket, Hunk gave a harder tug, listening to his friend sputter and feeling him flail as he was tugged away from his locker. Lance twisted, trying to shake himself free from his friend's hold on his jacket. Hunk didn't let go though, putting all his strength into dragging Lance away before he could cause a scene.

"Hunk! C'mon man!"

He didn't miss the smirk that came, a smell of smugness as the dark haired boy saw Lance's retreat as his own victory. It pissed Lance off, made him want to storm down the hall and argue that no, Keith, you haven't won.

Shaking his head, Hunk could hear Lance murmuring curses under his breath, sure he heard 'fucking' and 'Keith' a few times being muttered.

"You two can have your silent, little fight when I'm not going to be late for class."

"Huuunk~" Whined the blue eyed boy, arms crossing in front of his chest.

There really was no point in whining, in trying to fight his way out of his friends hold. Arms dropping to hang at his sides, he pressed his feet into the floor, wriggling his way out of the grip on his jacket. Keith wasn't looking towards him anymore, Lance no longer something to bother with. That made a small bubble of anger boil in his stomach, but he tampered it down. Their stare down was over for now, but it wasn't like Lance was giving up. Nope, this rivalry would continue until he got the best of him.

Keith had only walked past, but his smell, that strange Alpha scent still lingered around him. Almost like it had wrapped itself around Lance, and he couldn't shake it off. Couldn't shake off just how _off_ it smelled.

"You haven't seen the last of me, Kogane!" Lance yelled.

This time, Hunk really did smack his palm into his face.


	2. Wavering Self Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance enjoys teasing his best friend, picking fights with his rival, and thinking of one day finding a mate. His mama always told him, that love is worth the wait, and the effort.

It was like, no matter just how hard he rubbed at his nose, even if he rubbed til it was raw, the scent of Keith was stuck with him. It was making his face crinkle up in mock disgust, complaints leaving him during the walk towards their first class. Hunk was only half paying attention to anything he was saying, head nodding and little 'yep, yeah, uh huh' in response to anything that came from his best friend. He'd heard it all before, had spent hours listening to the same complaints about Keith, about his scent, et cetera, et cetera.

Hell, once he'd even made a crack at Lance, jokingly saying that, hey! Maybe the strange scent only bothered him, because maybe, just _maybe_ , he had a crush on the other boy.

That had only brought the whining to a sputtering stop, eyes blown wide in disbelief and Lance loudly announcing that there was no way he was into 'that smelly, mullet haired Alpha!'

"I'm just saying," Lance continued on, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. "Maybe the guy should invest in some shampoo, or better cologne."

Hunk was almost relieved to finally arrive at the classroom, the conversation about Keith coming to a pause there. Entering, they were forced to move into opposite directions, both having seats separate from each other. The teachers had learned, earlier during the years, that the two boys should be moved as far as possible. Though, the distance really didn't do much, it only made Lance talk much louder across the hall, so he could be heard by his friend.

One plus Lance felt about this, though, was his seat was set right next to one of the large windows, giving him a nice view down onto the oval shaped track. It was currently vacant, but, later during the day it would fill with students. Especially after school, when the track and field team would head out to do their routinely stretches and practice.

 

Flopping into his seat, Lance set his books down on top of the desk, before leaning forward so he could cross his arms over them. Resting his chin on his crossed arms, he let his gaze linger out the window. Aside from the slight chill seeping through, it looked like a nice day outside. Better than being cramped inside a building full of people.

In front of him, sat a blonde girl, who had turned so that she could gaze down at him. When he felt her eyes on him, his attention turned away from the window and towards her. She flashed off a smile of bright white teeth, long lashes fluttering as she greeted him.

Reflectively his own mouth lifted into a grin, his left eye closing quickly, a wink that earned him a giggle.

Any thoughts he had of Keith were quickly swept away now, his attention now set to the pretty girl seated in front of him. She was a Beta, one who'd he flirted on and off with since they met Freshman year. Their flirtations were harmless fun to him, something to keep him occupied. She wasn't his type, though, Hunk would probably disagree.

'Anything that walked on two legs' was Lance's type, according to Hunk.

He wasn't that easy, alright! But, no matter how much he disagreed with the statement, Hunk could bring up every previous girlfriend, and boyfriend, that Lance ever had. His memory was good, enough that he could list off everyone he'd flirted with. Every attempt at getting a number, every date that led to a first kiss, every failed date that mean't Lance would come over, collapse on his bed, and whine about what went wrong.

"How was your weekend?" The girl, Sophie, questioned him with a tilt to her head.

Shifting his body, he let his cheek rest on his arm. He told her about the weekend he spent with Hunk, video gaming and just having a fun time with his best bud. When Hunk was mentioned, the two glanced over towards him, and Sophie gave a small friendly wave when he noticed them staring.

"How about your weekend?"

Her smile faltered, just a little, as a nervous laugh escaped her. "I uh, I binge watched Netflix."

Lance gave out a sharp gasp, body jerking back and hand reaching up to press against his chest. He was acting as if her words stung him, his lip pouting out just a little. "And you didn't invite me?" He asked, sounding upset. "We could have chilled, and watched Netflix together."

"Really Lance, Netflix and Chill?"

The voice came from behind him, and Lance turned, having not noticed until now that the boy who usually sat behind him had arrived. He'd just sat down, in time to catch the end of the conversation between Sophie and Lance. His hair was a light ginger color, curled and slightly falling into his face, obvious muscles displayed by the way his t-shirt fit snugly to his upper body. Another Alpha.

Maybe it was an instinctual thing, but Lance couldn't help but sit a little straighter in his seat. It was like he was trying to make himself seem just a little bit taller than the other boy. Something, something wild in him felt intimidated, even though this newcomer hadn't even done anything to threaten him. And yet it was like there was a feral wolf growling in the back of his head.

"Chicks dig it."

He tried to act casual, like the third person in their conversation wasn't bothering him in the slightest. Shrugging his shoulders some, Lance let his eyes turn back to Sophie. If she was suppose to be proof of chicks digging 'Netflix and Chill' than it wasn't really working right now. Any words he wanted to say died on his tongue, eyeing the way she was focused on the other boy. She was leaning a little more towards his desk, her eyes not looking at him. She was looking through him, past him, to the boy seated behind him.

Something was creeping up in his gut, but he tried to tamper it down. 'Don't focus on it.'

Hiding his disappointment, he quickly replaced his frown with an easygoing smile, shoulders relaxing back as he listened to the two of them start up their own conversation. She was questioning the other boy about his weekend, all but ignoring Lance's presence now. Trying not to let it bother him, he just zoned in and out of the conversation, eyes drifting back to look outside.

The arrival of the teacher made most of the chatter in the room dull down into whispers, a tall woman stepping into the room. Each of her footsteps were announced with the click clack of her heels, dark hair pinned up into a high bun, round framed glasses perched onto the edge of her nose. When she stopped to stand behind her desk, her eyes peered over glasses, sharply scanning over her students. Counting, figuring out who had showed and who was missing.

Most of the students disliked her, for being more strict than the other teachers. While she had quickly become aware of this fact, it didn't make her change in the slightest. She was still hard on her students, nitpicking at every little thing and giving out homework almost every night. Weekends to her meant nothing.

"I hope that some of you finished the homework I sent over the weekend." Her words were greeted by many groans from the class.

Lance had even groaned along with the others, but he knew that he'd finished it before he even went home Friday. What could he say though, when it came to math, it was like he was in his zone. Numbers weren't a problem for him. Scanning his classmates, he tried to pinpoint who had done the homework, and who hadn't.

It seemed that she was going to be marking a lot of bad grades today.

* * *

 

Now, Lance and Keith didn't have many encounters during the school days. Who knows it they'd tried to plan it out that way, or if it was just good luck. There was maybe a small encounter during the early morning, due to their lockers being located in the same hallway. The Lunch room was filled with so many other students, that Lance could just barely see the dark haired boy within the crowds of people. The scent of the other Alpha was almost masked by all other smells, enough so that Lance could ignore it, his time spent in the relaxation of his companions.

The only class where they had to be around each other, was Social Studies.

With their bellies full, and the end of the school day quickly approaching, Lance and Hunk moved down the hall towards their final class. They'd had it worked out perfectly, where the two best friends had almost every class together. Noted though, that while Hunk took Home Ec, Lance had opted out on that, choosing to go through learning a new language.

Okay, yeah, learning a new language was awesome and everything. But think about this, flirting with a girl in another language. Chicks love it when a guy can speak a foreign language, and isn't French the language of love?

That'd been the reason he'd given Hunk, when the boy questioned why he'd signed up to learn French, rather than any of the other courses they could have gone through. He'd gotten an eye roll at that, but hey, he was learning a lot. And, he really did enjoy learning French, he had found himself easily learning the words, saying he just picked it up quicker than others. But, as someone who already knew a second language, he felt that was another reason. If he could speak fluent Spanish, and easily talk English, than French would be a breeze.

"Now, I'm not saying that was the best lunch I've had, but I really think Mrs. Pearson outdid herself today." Hunk smiled, his hands patting at his stomach.

"It all really tastes the same to me."

"C'mon Lance, you can't tell me that you didn't taste a difference." Frowning, Hunk adjusted the hold he had on his books. "I think she took my advice. About the seasoning, it makes it taste a lot better!"

Shrugging his shoulders, Lance was still unconvinced about the subject. The schools menu never changed, serving the same lunch every day, every week. Sure, sometimes they'd change up something, but it all tasted bland to him. Hunk was so sure about a difference though.

Sighing, Hunk let the subject drop there. "Fine, alright. But, I'm sure Shay realized the difference."

Books shifted again so that he could reach his free hand into his pocket, Lance watched with a lifted eyebrow, as Hunk fished out his cellphone. A slow, devious smirk was working it's way to Lance's face as he watched his best friend, watched as he quickly tapped his fingers over the screen as he shot a text out to Shay. A teasing tone was working it's way, as Lance prepared to put his friend under interrogation.

It was always fun to mess around with Hunk, to watch the way he squirmed about his little crush.

Clamping his hand onto Hunk's elbow, he directed his friend around students, making sure he didn't run into anyone as he texted. "Are you sure she'll notice?"

Confused by his words, Hunk glanced up, carefully moving to the side before he tripped over a shorter boy who was stumbling through the hall with an arm full of books. Lance shot the boy an apologetic look, before his attention returned to his friend. Hunk shook himself free from his hold, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, take your obvious crush on her for instance." A blush spread across Hunk's cheeks, and he opened his mouth to retort, but Lance quickly cut him off. "You can deny it all you want, but anyone can tell."

The larger boy's face only went redder, his eyes narrowing. "We're just friends."

"Yeah, okay, 'friends." Lance made quotation marks with his fingers. "But, you want to be more."

"I just want to be her friend!"

A few students were beginning to stare now, causing Hunk to shrink back when he realized that his voice was beginning to get louder. Trying to ignore the questioning looks from the others, he continued to follow Lance down the hall. He was embarrassed now, afraid what people were thinking. Lance enjoyed getting under his skin, and loved to make him suffer. Especially when it came to his friendship with a girl named Shay.

"She's just a really cool girl, and she loves trying out my food experiments."

He tried to use that as an excuse, but Lance wasn't buying it. "And you want to wife her." He said, eyebrows waggling in a teasing manner. "You probably imagine a big kitchen, where you stand behind her with your hands on hers, cooking dinner and being all domestic."

"Lance!"

"Kids, there's going to be a bunch of them, running around a big yard with a dog."

"Oh my god, Lance!"

Hunk just wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and hide. Shoving his way past the taller boy, he could hear the amused chuckle as Lance quickly followed behind him. He was walking faster now, trying to escape from any other words said. When there was the vibrated answer of a text, Lance couldn't help but give a whistle when Hunk automatically went to retrieve his phone. With a scowl, Hunk looked down to the reply. He could feel Lance behind him, the boy peering over his shoulder.

He quickly lost interest though, seeing the paragraph of text that Shay had sent back. To him, it was just a big jumble of comments about the lunch, but to Hunk, the boy seemed pleased with her answer. Whatever difference he had tasted, the girl had also picked up on.

Lance couldn't help rolling his eyes, not understanding why the two couldn't just flirt like normal people with crushes. Instead, the two liked to have conversations about food, various plants, animal habitats. All things that Lance really had no interest in. But, it just made it all the more obvious how into Shay Hunk really was, and it gave Lance a pleasant warmness in his chest.

Hunk could have possibly found his mate.

"Just change her contact to 'Future Wife'." He commented, finally taking the last few steps to their class.

The bright blush, the sputtering excuse of 'we're just friends!' had him laughing, sides giving off a dull ache. Reaching up to wipe the warm wetness from his eyes, Lance gave a content sigh, peering into the room to get a figure of who had arrived so far, and who had yet to show up.

And like that, his happy feeling was starting to fade away. Spotted in the back corner, sat a dark head of hair. Of course, Keith had already arrived. He didn't even bother to look up at their arrival, his arms crossed and head titled back, earbuds stuffed into his ears and drowning out any noise in the room. Seated in front of him, with their chair turned some, sat a girl with messy brown hair. The way her chair was angled, made it clear that at some point, the two had conversed at one point. But, now they were doing their own thing.

Her legs were up, knees pressing against the desk. Between her hands, she held her phone, the light from the screen reflecting off the lenses of her glasses. Hunk called out a greeting to her, and she glanced up, giving a small wave, before she went back to scrolling through her phone. Lance was hesitant on where to sit, before heading two rows over, and sliding into a seat. He'd already caught the scent when he walked in, and it would only irritate him more if he was seated closer.

"Get in a fight with your hair brush, Pidge?" He questioned, arching one brow.

One hand moved away from her phone, reaching up to shift around her messy hair. It didn't do much to tame the unkept bangs, but it wasn't like it really bothered her. She really didn't care much for her appearance.

Lips pursed, Lance couldn't help pick up the strong scent coming from the boy sitting behind the small girl. He'd tried to put distance between them, but it was almost like the boy was standing directly in front of him. He couldn't even really describe the scent, it was sort of.. sharp, like cinnamon, but it also had a hinted sweet smell. Like someone was trying to cover up the sweetness with a more bitter taste. He wanted to make a comment about it, but Hunk gave him a look that made him keep his comment to himself.

That didn't prevent him though, from shooting a glare towards him. Not that Keith even took notice of it, his eyes closed and head leaned back, bare neck exposed. Lance could faintly hear the music coming from his ear buds, something loud. Probably something Emo, there was no doubt to him that Keith listened to that kind of stuff.

Big eyes lingered a little too long on pale skin, eyeing up the unmarked flesh of his neck.

Jerking his eyes away, he looked over to Hunk, who had his phone back out and was more than likely in the process of texting Shay again. Trying to ignore Keith and his scent, Lance rested his chin on his palm.

"Okay, so." His words made Hunk jerk slightly, head turning to show that Lance had his attention. "You think she's a cool girl."

That earned him a head nod. Smiling, Lance continued on.

"And she's smart, and pretty."

"She's more than just smart, and pretty, Lance."

The words came more out like a statement, as if this were information Lance should have been obvious to. Glancing past Hunk, he met the curious gaze of Pidge. Her eyebrow raised a little, eyes darting between Hunk and Lance. While she didn't speak up or butt into their conversation, it was clear that she was now listening intently to what was going on.

Lance couldn't help but glance to Keith as well, wondering if past the music playing in his ears, he could also hear.

 "She's beautiful, she makes the most amazing peach cobbler," Hunk had set the phone down to list these facts off his fingers. "I mean, we have the best conversations. She just gets me."

'Yeah, and you are clearly head over heels for her.' Lance thought with a grin. Hunk was smiling down, eyes gazing softly ahead of him. He wasn't listing facts anymore, just going off on these little things about Shay. Honestly, it was cute, and Lance loved seeing just how in love Hunk was. It made him wonder, if he'd ever be this in love with someone. To take notice of every little detail that made him fall more and more in love.

Taking his bottom lip between his teeth, Lance looked away. This made him ache for a mate, ache to have someone to love just as much as much as Hunk loved Shay. Someone to understand him, to take notice of his little quirks and to just _know_ him. But, his mother always told him, that finding true love was never easy. His father was not the first she'd fallen in love with, but he was her first mate. She told her children all the time, finding your mate wasn't easy, but getting to know them and love them, was always worth it.

He was starting to get emotional, shaking his head, he tried to shake away those thoughts.

Deep breath in, Lance tried to calm himself down. Maybe it was due to what happened earlier, part of him wanted to blame Keith, but whatever it was, he wanted to just hide it deep inside. Feeling like someone was watching him, he turned his head, spotting Keith looking at him. His earbuds were still in, and Lance was sure the boy hadn't said anything to him.

Frowning, this time he didn't have Hunk to stop him, because the boy was fully absorbed into his conversation with Shay. "What? Got a problem, Mullet?"

Pidge and Hunk both looked up from what they were doing, first their eyes looking at Lance, and then turning to look at Keith. He probably hadn't heard what was said, but he had to notice that Lance was directing whatever he'd said towards him. Tugging a bud from his ear, he sat up straighter in his seat.

"You have something to say?"

Any attempts to keep Lance from arguing were ignored, a flicker of anger filling him. The jerk was caught staring at him, and now was acting like he wasn't expected to be called out for it. "Yeah, actually, I do."

"Lance, please, don't." Hunk begged.

Other students had started to filter into the room, but Lance was more focused on the dark haired boy. Keith had raised an eyebrow, waiting for whatever it was Lance had to say. Pidge fidgeted with her glasses, saying something to Hunk while the boy tried to get the two to calm down. Hunk's efforts weren't working though.

"Are you some sort of creep, do you like looking at people?" Lance asked, crossing his arms.

"Better question here is, are you a creep?" Keith retorted. "I mean, you flirt with practically everyone."

"I haven't flirted with you!"

"Because you know you'd be instantly turned down."

"Yeah right, you'd be busy drooling all over yourself!"

Rolling his eyes, Keith shook his head. "Right, because whatever comes out of your mouth would impress me."

"Better than that mullet."

Fingers twitching, Keith stopped from reaching up to touch at his hair. They'd gathered an audience now, most of the other students not surprised that Lance and Keith were fighting. Still, some of them wondered if one of these days, a fist fight would just break out between the two. He didn't think they'd go that far, but then again, Lance sometimes knew how to press buttons.

"It's not a mullet." He muttered, blowing bangs out of his face.

"Right," Lance gave a laugh, gesturing towards his hair. "The 1980's called, they want their hairstyle back."

"This isn't happening." Hunk murmured to himself, pressing a hand to his face and sinking down into his chair.

"You're so creative."

"Thank you."

"I didn't say that as a compliment, dumbass."

"It had to be a compliment, because at least I'm creative enough to not copy David Bowie's hair cut."

This had to stop now, stop before it got out of hand. Hunk let his eyes settle on the door, praying that the teacher would walk in and stop this. Two students had pulled their phones out, probably recording the fight going on between the two. Of course, Lance and Keith hadn't realized this, the two of them more preoccupied with their argument.

Hunk had hoped that maybe, Pidge would have chipped in to try and stop them, but she'd returned her attention back to her phone. Was he the only one here worried that at some point, something would change, and the two would be at each others throats. Maybe he should invest in signing his friends up for therapy.

"50 bucks says Kogane is finally going to flip his shit." A nearby student bet his friend.

Alright, this is where Hunk had to pull the plug on this fight. Quickly pulling up Pidge's contact number on his phone, he shot the girl a quick text for her to help him before this turned sour. She glanced over to him when her phone pinged with his text, before turning so that her eyes could land on Keith. Reaching out, she sharply grabbed at his earlobe and tugged.

"Pidge, what the fuck?"

"You two need to stop." Hunk stated, pointing his finger at Lance, sounding much like a parent scolding his children.

"He started it!" Both claimed at the same time.

Giving his ear another sharp tug, Pidge let it go, rolling her eyes at how childish the two sounded. Frowning, Keith reached up to rub at his ear, while Lance pouted towards his friend. If it weren't for Hunk still threateningly pointing a finger at him, he would have tried to continue the argument.

Nearby, a girl frowned when the fight stopped, having to stop the recording she had been making. The two boys that had been betting gave complaints to Hunk butting in, neither one of them winning money from their friend. Hunk didn't care though, they could whine all they wanted, but he wasn't going to sit on the side and see if Keith and Lance finally started swinging.

All energy from the fight calmed once the teacher finally made his appearance, almost late for his own class. He seemed disinterested in whatever had been previously going on in the room, murmuring to himself as he moved over to the blackboard and plucked up a piece of chalk. Straight into work, he reached up to start writing something out on the board.

* * *

 

"You have to stop picking fights with him."

Lance felt like he was being scolded by a parent, a frown on his face as he walked in the direction of his brother's locker. Hunk walked beside him, having quickly started telling him off about what happened in the class. Keith and Pidge had already left the room before them, so luckily the two didn't have to interact at all leaving the classroom. The teacher hadn't even seemed to pick up what had happened before he walked in, but then, he seemed oblivious to most things that happened during his class.

Where did they hire some of these people?

"Hunk, the guy is just asking for a fight." He tried to explain. "I mean, the mullet is obviously something to discuss."

"It's just a haircut Lance."

"But a haircut that's way past it's expiration date!"

Sighing, Hunk let it drop there. He was suppose to be stopping his friend from fighting with Keith, not discussing the choices of how Keith had his hair. Lance perked up at the sight of his brother, almost bouncing down the hall as he stopped to stand next to his sibling.

"Hey Hunk," The younger boy greeted, smiling in his direction.

"Hey."

"Keeping my brother out of trouble?" It was a teasing question, brown eyes flickering towards the person mentioned.

"Trouble, me?" Both Hunk and Julian rolled their eyes, knowing full well that Lance was anything but innocent. Lips pursed, Lance leaned against the locker. "Wow, you are suppose to be my brother, and my best friend."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't stop you from causing issues."

"I'm an angel, people love me!"

Julian gave a snort of laughter, slamming his locker shut and clicking the padlock into place. "Yeah, Mom said you were an angel, when you were still in diapers."

"Mom still thinks I'm an angel."

"Keep telling yourself that."

Slipping his backpack over his shoulder, Julian didn't wait for his brother as he started walking away from his locker and down the hall. Smiling, Hunk followed after, listening to Lance complain as he followed quickly after the two. The halls always looked more crowded during the end of the day, when they were in a rush to head out. Friends making plans, lovers saying their goodbyes by making out in the corners. Lance and the others weren't much in a rush, not having to be quick on catching their bus before it departed from the building.

Stepping outside, Lance felt his arms stretch out, feeling the warmth of the sun as it shined down on his face. The beginning chill of October's approach was still there, but to him, it still felt like he was in the middle of Summer. Laying out in the yard, heading to the local pool for a swim. If only the weather could remain sunny, if only the cold and the snow could stay away for a little longer.

"I have to go wait up for Shay." Hunk told him, pointing his thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of the track field. "She's got practice today."

"Mmhm." Hummed Lance.

"Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"That hum, I already told you, we're just friends!"

He held his hands out, palms facing Hunk, trying to show that he meant no harm in what he'd done. Rolling his eyes, Julian went to go toss his backpack into Lance's car. Lance turned his head to watch him, before looking back to Hunk, watching the boy begin to back his way into the opposite direction. Part of Lance wanted to head home, to lay out on the porch and do his homework while he stretched out like a cat. But, home also meant having someone interrupt him. Plus, Julian probably wanted to get home.

"I'll drop Jules off, and then come back?" He suggested.

"You don't have to, you can head home. I can probably walk, or see if Shay's mom will give me a ride."

Both choices didn't sound good to Lance, he didn't want to make his friend walk the way home. And he knew that Hunk would feel like he was being bothersome, if he asked Shay's mom for a ride. Lance had made the offer, so he was going to do it either way. Tugging his keys out, he turned his back to Hunk, walking towards his car.

"I'll be back for ya, buddy."

He couldn't see it, but he was sure his friend was smiling. "Alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took some time, a few things came up after the last chapter. I cannot say it will get updated as often as people would like, but I'll try to actually finish it. Excuse the terrible attempt at having Lance and Keith fight.


	3. Sombody Ask for a Hero?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith lived his life freely, with a wall built up securely to keep others out. When push comes to shove, Lance will begin to break through those walls. Starting with coming to his defense.

Outside of the building, nestled almost in it's own separate world, sat an old sycamore tree. Tall, with branches that reached up towards the sky. With the coming approach of Summer, it's leave were beginning to shift in color, and soon, they'd fall. But, for now, Keith could enjoy peering up through the gaps, gazing at the sky above.

Right here, _this_ , had to be his favorite location at the school. A place where he could just relax, and enjoy his surroundings. To feel the cool breeze against the skin of his arms, listen to the gentle song of the birds, and take in the scents that weren't of sweat, or overused body spray.

From one of the lower branches, he watched long leg's gently kick back and forth. Pidge had her laptop carefully placed on her lap, fingers tapping away at the keys. Often enough, this was where she would find him, and she'd usually join him there. Enjoying the shade of the tree, like a giant guardian watching over the two of them.

"Hey guys." Came a soft toned, familiar voice.

There was no bother looking towards the voice, his nostrils flaring, taking in the scent of the addition to their spot outside the school. It was Hunk, and while the scent of Lance lingered around him, it was apparent that the lanky teen hadn't tagged along. Not that it really mattered, just meant that Keith could enjoy the peace, without having to listen to someone's constant chatter, or the brunet trying to pick some sort of fight with him.

Footsteps approaching, the large boy sat himself down nearby. His eyes peeling away from the clouds, Keith turned his head, eyes meeting Hunk's.

A friendly smile was shown his way, full of happiness. There was no hesitation when Keith smiled back, feeling the emotions that rolled off of the other male. There was just no way anyone could get mad or upset with him, not when Hunk was friendly with near everyone.

"What's she up to?" Hunk inquired, thumb pointed in the direction of Pidge.

Head falling back, Keith's eyes skimmed over the form of his friend. He could only give a shrug, though, he had a small clue of what she was trying to do. She'd mentioned it a few times to him earlier that day. "She wants to buy a telescope, but her neighbors would probably break it."

"It's not probably, it's definitely." Pidge cut in, correcting him. "They will definitely break it." 

"So," Keith continued. "She's trying to convince the school board to let her have it here."

"What about the one in the Science lab?"

"It's too small."

Turning her body carefully so that her leg's dangled over the edge, Pidge held her laptop to her chest, protecting it with her arms tightly wrapped around it. Shifting carefully, she let gravity do the rest of the work, body falling down towards the ground. Both boy's kept careful eyes on her, both ready to jump up at any minute. The fall wasn't that high, but the two still always worried that she'd land at the wrong angle. That she'd end up hurting herself on the way down.

"Besides, who know's whose had their hands on that one." With a grimace, Pidge shook her head. "I'd rather buy my own, one that only I have access to."

"Do you have that kind of cash?"

"I'm sure I can convince someone to pay for my services." The grin that came to her face was full of malicious intent, but Keith and Hunk thought something different, and she could tell by the looks they shot her way. Her grin quickly fell when she realized what they could be thinking. "Not those services, guys!"

"Yeah, well, I think Matt would kill us if we let you."

"Not like we could imagine you doing it anyway," Keith's eyes scanned her from head to toe. "Short, A cup, tomboyish look.."

"Keith!"

Two small steps and she was standing between the two boys, with her laptop still clutched to her chest, she turned her back to Keith. Falling back, she smirked at the groan the boy made when she landed on his stomach. His hand's quickly moved, shoving and trying to push the girl off of him. Watching the two of them, Hunk gave an eye roll, but nothing could wipe the fond smile that sat on his face.

Sometimes it made him wonder, how Keith and Pidge had become friends. The two had been close when he'd first met them, and he had to figure maybe it had something to do with their brother's already being best friends. Matt and Shiro were almost inseparable, and so, that had to have some part in their friendship.

But what had really made the two bond? Just because Shiro and Matt were friends, didn't mean that instantly sprung up this close friendship. There had to be something that made the two grow closer without their brothers involvement.

"I can always sell you out to make my money." Pidge stated.

Reaching her hand out, her fingers shuffled through dark hair, until Keith's bangs were pushed back, giving them a better view of his face. Pouty lips, thin eyebrows narrowed, dark wine colored eyes currently glaring at the girl.

"Are you trying to whore me out?"

"Maybe."

A hard shove, and the girl was off, ass hitting the ground next to him. She gave a cry of surprise from the action, shooting him a dark look. Chuckling, Keith wrapped an arm around her waist, hand gently patting her knee in some sign of comfort. With a huff, she settled back against his side, opening her laptop back up so that she could go back to what she had been doing.

A comfortable silence settled over the three of something, the only sound coming from Pidge as she browsed for a telescope that would satisfy her needs.

Nearby, the Track team was forming, voices calling out to friends and teammates as they prepared for practice. The crowd for the Track and Field team were better than the crowd that would usually gather for football practice, and it was a big relief to know that their tree was located on the other side of the field. Though, even if they didn't have to deal with the entire football team, some would sometimes wander their way over to pester the group.

With a content sigh, Keith let his eyes close, feeling the gentle touch of Pidge as her fingers glided up and down his arm. Feeling at ease, surrounded by those closest to him, Keith felt himself slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

"He's almost like a cat." Hunk's words were low, eyes watching Keith.

Golden brown eyes shifted, taking a quick glance back towards the dark haired male. She could feel the way his arm curled loosely around her, his muscles relaxed. The usual scowl that rested on his face was gone, face looking much younger right now. It pleased her to know that, even with Hunk and Pidge here, Keith was at ease enough to show this side of him. This vulnerability.

"He could probably sleep anywhere."

Nodding his head in agreement, Hunk studied Keith for a little longer. Seeing him like this, almost made him second guess his best friends reasons on disliking the boy. Keith never tried to start fights with anyone, didn't try to seek out trouble. If anything, he kept to himself, in the back and distant from all others.

Yet, he couldn't think of a day at school where him and Lance were butting heads.

Eyes finally leaving the slumbering teen, Hunk let his eyes drift towards where the students of the Track team were lining up. From the distance, he could just barely make out Shay, the female bent, hair held into a high ponytail while she stretched. Her arms were pointed down, fingertips brushing against the toes of her running shoes. She appeared to be in a conversation with the girl on her left, her head turned, a smile on her face as she listened to what the other had to say. A blossom of pride swelled in Hunk, taking notice how quickly she'd made friends with others on the team.

Her brother, Rax, had been the one to talk her into signing up for the team. Hunk could still remember the night before try outs, the nervousness in her voice as she expressed her concerns. Imagine her surprise when she had made the team, and soon, had started finding friends within.

"You don't have to hang out with us."

The words from Pidge caused Hunk to turn his attention back to his quiet companions. Pidge hadn't looked up from her laptop, but she obviously knew what had most of his attention. Smiling, he shook his head, the headband wrapped around his head keeping hair from falling into his face. Still, he felt the ticklish brush of the soft strands against his temple.

"It's fine," He leaned back on his elbows, one hand reaching over to tug his backpack onto his lap. Might as well get some homework done while he waited for practice to end. "I don't want to distract her."

There was a low hum in answer.

* * *

 

The ride on home had gone by quickly, the car full of laughter, an easy flowing conversation going between the siblings. It was a memory that would stay with Lance for the rest of his life. With a smile, and a wave over his shoulder, Julian slid out of the car and made his way up to the house. The older teen watched him go, keeping a watchful eye over him.

The neighborhood wasn't dangerous, the people having lived there for as long as Lance knew, he knew Julian wouldn't get jumped just by walking to the front door. Still, he kept a brotherly eye on him. Waiting until the door shut behind him, before peeling away from home.

With a steady hand on the wheel, and blue eyes set on the road, his free hand skimmed over the screen of his phone. He shot a risky glance down, making sure he wasn't accidentally dialing up one of his contacts, before a song finally filled the silence. Grinning, he placed the device in the space between the two front seats. He was greeted with the sweet voice of Christina Aguilera.

Burlesque, may or may not, be his all time favorite movie.

His fingers drummed a beat into the steering wheel, his body longing to move, to sway his hips and dance to the music playing. There was a love for dance thrumming through his veins, as if he had been born to just move his feet. It wasn't just him either, almost everyone in his family knew how to move to the beat. Both of his younger sisters had begged his parents to enroll them into ballet classes, and his older sister volunteered often to teach a dance class. Lance tagged along for all of it.

He pulled into the parking lot, eyes taking a quick survey of the surrounding area. There were a few set of cars that he recognized, a few familiar students still remaining at the building. Near the front doors, sat a bike, locked up tight, but familiar. Familiar, only because he knew the owner of said bike. With a scowl, Lance felt himself harshly twist the key.

"Of course, this guy would still be here." He commented once the music stopped.

The small flame of anger simmered once he heard the slam of his car door, feeling a little bad now that he was taking it out on his vehicle. This car was his baby, and it wasn't her fault that Keith was here. Giving the hood a pat, he turned his head this way and that, eyes scanning for a head of dark hair. He felt almost like a criminal, making sure all was clear before he began his crime. Once he was sure the other male was nowhere in sight, he made his way over to the dark red colored motorcycle.

Lance: _His bike is still here_

He took a quick shot of the bike, before sending the picture off to follow along the text. Glancing over his shoulder, he took another look around for Keith, before edging a little closer. Up closer, Lance could really take in the beauty of the machine. It looked well taken care of, as if the teen really cherished it.

Could he imagine it? Imagine Keith, hidden away in a garage. Grease stained shirt, tools scattered across the floor, and maybe some music blasting through the small space. He looked like he would be good with his hands, like he could spend a lot of time taking apart, and putting things back together. Yeah, yeah, he could definitely see Keith doing something like that. Besides, they had a Shop class, so, maybe he'd learned a thing or two there.

Oddly, the image of a grease covered Keith, made heat pool in his gut. Shit, the thought was just a little arousing. 'Thoughts somewhere else McClain, that guy is your rival!'

His phone vibrated in his hand, pulling him away from thoughts of Keith. A huffed breath of agitation left him though due to what he read.

Hunk: _O yeah dude_

Hunk: _He's here w me and Pidge_

Did that mean, that he would have to spend more time around that scent?

Shaking his head, Lance couldn't help but give a chuckle. He didn't have to spend any time around it, if he didn't want. He could easily persuade Hunk into moving somewhere else, it was a big field. And, if anything, he could probably find a way to chase him off. Obviously, Keith didn't like him any more than he did. So, he could find some way to get the guy to leave.

There was only one way of finding out. Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he took one final glance down at the 'cycle, before making his way towards the track field.

On one side of the field, he could see the Track team, and on the other, was the Football team. Both, mostly kept to themselves, on their own sides of the field. They kept to themselves most of the time, more preoccupied with stretching out and practicing for their preferred sport. Walking towards the side where he was sure his friend waited, Lance could hear the Football Coach even from this distance. Blowing loudly on a whistle, calling out commands to his team.

The Coach - who also covered their Biology class - was all muscle, and a deep, baritone voice.

Around their little city, hell, maybe even the entire state, he was what you could consider a Top Alpha. He was the strongest known Alpha to them, he was fast and knew how to handle a situation. He had his own little fan club in the school, though, Lance wondered if the man was even aware of this. Surely though, he could probably smell some of the arousal that came off of his students.

As long as he didn't act out on it, because, _eww_. They were underage teenager's!

Yeah, the guy was attractive, if you were into Wolverine. His haircut was almost the same as the comic hero, short and spiked. His right eye was covered by an eye patch, something that a lot of students had started rumors about. Fight with another Top Alpha that got him injured, he was in a gang when he was a teenager and got into a nasty brawl. Rather than answer any of these questions, he'd only smirk, and let the students continue making up stories about him.

Attractiveness aside, the guy was a hard ass when it came to class. And, from some of the complaints Lance heard from some of the football team, he was as equally a hard ass during practice.

A familiar female was jogging in his direction, and he smiled when he recognized Shay. She only had enough time to wave, before she was moving past him and along the trail. Another girl was at her side, the two lost in their conversation. He simply waved back, watching her go, before his attention returned to the stands where the Track team usually gathered.

He scanned the seats, but came up empty of finding his best friend. With a frown, he was about to pull his phone out and text Hunk, but he could hear someone distantly calling his name. Head turning towards the sound, he squinted, his eyes landing on figures sitting underneath a tree.

It wasn't the usual spot Hunk would sit at, but, Lance wasn't going to complain here. Or, at least he thought he wouldn't complain. With quick steps in the direction, he saw the figures beginning to look more and more familiar. His best friend, with a big smile on his face as he watched him approach them. Pidge sat nearby, not even looking at Lance as he neared them.

There was someone laying behind her, and as he got closer, he could recognize the figure of Keith.

"Oh no, oh hell no!" He exclaimed.

Hunk brought a finger to his mouth, both him and Pidge hissing out 'shh!' at his words. Brows furrowed, he held himself back from making more complaints. Instead, he seethed silently to himself. Or, as silently as he could. He gave an annoyed huff as he dropped down to sit next to Hunk, trying not to shoot glares towards the dark haired male.

"I can't believe we have to sit over here."

" _You_ don't have to sit with us." Pidge murmured, emphasizing on the word you.

"I'm not sitting by myself!"

Again his words were greeted with his friend's shushing him. Crossing his legs under him, he let his elbow rest on his knee, pressing his cheek into his palm. Taking notice of his friends silence, Hunk leaned over, pressing their shoulders together and pressing just a little into him. Lance tried to keep the frown on his face, but he just couldn't. Breathing out a small sigh, he turned his head, giving his friend a smile.

"What is our little Pidge-let up to?" He asked, looking towards the girl.

Taking a better look, he could see that Pidge was leaning back into Keith's side, looking content. It was a strange sight to take in, but then, Lance was always confused by their friendship. Maybe because the two were more quiet than Hunk and Lance, or maybe it was because they kept more to themselves. Also, he'd been told that their brother's were close friends.

Upon closer inspection, Lance could also tell now why he'd been shushed by his two friends. Keith was apparently sleeping, his eyes closed, chest rising and falling with even breaths. His arm was loosely wrapped around the girl at his side, and he looked just as content here as Pidge did.

It was all such a strange sight to take in.

Was this what Keith looked like at his own home, where he wasn't surrounded by the hustle and bustle of school? Again, Lance was reminded of the image he'd thought of earlier. Of Keith in the garage, fixing up a gleaming red motorcycle. His thoughts shifted, this time the image of Keith stretched out on a comfortable looking couch. One arm resting on his stomach, the other up by his face. Lips parted as he breathed, lashes fanned out against his face.

Catching himself, Lance jerked back, as if the thoughts of Keith had burned him. He tore his gaze away from the napping male, finding more interest in the grass by his foot. Reaching down, he took the blade between his fingers. He hadn't even noticed that Pidge had answered him, currently in the middle of explaining her reasoning on trying to buy a new telescope.

Hunk gave his friend a concerning look, but didn't question on his sudden movement.

"Ugh!" Pidge groaned, throwing her arms out and slouching back. "How am I, a high school student, suppose to come across 200 dollars?!"

"I thought you already had a plan for that."

The voice was low, husky and made chills crawl up Lance's spine. Pidge turned, her eyes looking back down at the boy who blinked sleepily up towards the sky. His arm slipped away from her body, moving up to scrub his palm against his face. Pouting, the girl closed her laptop. "Yeah, I had a plan."

"We all know Pidge won't really whore herself out." pointed out Hunk.

"Psh, like she'd get much for it." Lance cut in, although, he didn't understand exactly what they were talking about. "No one wants a flat chested high schooler."

"What is with you guys and commenting on my bust size?!"

Keith couldn't help but give a chuckle, which earned himself a smack on the arm. Hunk, however, looked very uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was going. Lance felt a little bad for his friend, who acted just as much of the virgin he was. It was like talking about subject's like that just made the large boy want to exit as quick as possible from the conversation.

"How about we talk about something else?"

"Yes, please."

Another slap towards her friends arm, and Pidge shifted so that she was no longer leaning against him. Lance smiled, his eyes watching the group, meeting Keith's gaze for a few seconds before quickly looking away. It was strange, he could smell that scent that always came off the boy, but it didn't seem to bother him all that much. Maybe he'd finally grown accustom to it's odd smell. Either that, or the breeze and other scents from outside were just dying it down.

Whatever it was, he felt relieved that he didn't have to breath it in from the close proximity.

"You know, telescopes aren't something teenagers usually go out and buy." Keith commented, eyeing Pidge.

"You're trying to buy a telescope?" Lance raised an eyebrow, also looking at Pidge. "I mean, I hate to agree with Keith, but he is right."

Their eyes met again, Keith looking like he wanted to say something or make a comment on what Lance had said, but instead he returned his attention to the female. "It just seems more like something the school should fund into."

"Yeah right. They're more busy buying new sports equipment."

Hunk nodded in agreement. "This school has been more known for our sports than anything else."

"So, the fact that Pidge is so smart she could work with like, Nasa or something means nothing to them?"

"Pretty much." Moving so he could sit up, Keith reached back, brushing loose leaves and grass from his hair. "They won't spend that sort of money for one student."

"Lame." Lance pouted out his bottom lip.

"It's fine, guys." Pidge shrugged her shoulders, pulling herself to her feet. "Like I said, I got a plan. And before you guys make any comments about whoring myself out-" she pointed her fingers towards Keith, and then Lance. "I'm doing no such thing."

Both Lance and Keith held their hands up, palms facing her, to try and show that they were of no harm to her. Chuckling low under his breath, Hunk moved to also stand. He stuffed his books and papers back into his backpack, making sure everything was inside before zipping it closed. Unsure if he should stand as well, or continue sitting, Lance let his hands come down to rest on his lap. Pidge was stretching out her arms, while Hunk was slipping his arms through the straps to his backpack.

The two of them looked like they were getting ready to go, and Lance was a little worried they were going to end up leaving him behind. With Keith. Keith, who almost looked as alarmed as he did on his friends actions. He was probably wondering the same thing, since both Hunk and Pidge knew that both boys really didn't get along.

"Matt's coming to pick me up soon." Pidge told them.

Alright, so Pidge was leaving, but Hunk couldn't be going yet. Not when Lance had offered to give him a ride back home, and again, hello! Don't leave the guy here alone with Keith. He glanced between Keith and Pidge, wondering if Keith would be leaving with Pidge or if he was staying.

Well, obviously he wasn't leaving with Pidge, not if Matt was coming to pick her up, and his motorcycle was out by the parking lot. He hadn't moved from his spot either, leg's stretched out, the emotion on his face hard to make out now that the breeze was picking up. He was trying to brush the strands out of his face, but they wouldn't stay for long.

"I'm gonna go put my stuff over with Shay's. Then maybe give my leg's a little exercise." Hunk motioned back towards the track.

Before the two could start to leave, Lance was springing up to his feet, feeling three pairs of eyes on him. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he slouched a little, almost like he was trying to hide away from their gazes. "I'm uh, I'm going to walk with Pidge to the lot." He said in answer to their questioning looks. "Besides, I wanted to ask Matt something."

She didn't look too convinced by his lie, it wasn't like he couldn't just text up Matt whatever question he had. Hunk definitely didn't buy into the lie, his attention flickering between Keith and Lance again. He obviously knew what had made Lance get up, what made Lance tell such a lie. But, he was Lance's best friend, and he wasn't going to just out his lie like that.

Keith didn't seem to care much about it, so, if he believed the lie or not, didn't seem to be a bother to him. He actually seemed less tense now, knowing that he wasn't going to be stuck sitting there with Lance.

Whatever, not like it bothered Lance either.

"Alright.." Still looking uncertain about Lance's reason for coming along, Pidge shook her head. "Seeya Keith."

With a small wave, she turned, quickly making her way towards the parking lot. She didn't even wait for the others to catch up, but, it didn't take long for Hunk and Lance to catch up with her strides. Waiting until they were out of earshot to Keith, Hunk shot a look towards Lance. Feeling his friends gaze on him, Lance looked back at him.

"What?!"

"You acted like a child being left with a bunch of strangers." Pidge piped up from where she walked ahead of them. "Keith isn't going to murder you, you know."

"How do you know that?!" Lance crossed his arms.

"Because I know him."

"Just because you know a guy, doesn't mean you know everything about him." Lance took a glance back over his shoulder. Keith wasn't even looking in their direction. He'd actually gone back to laying in the grass. "He could be hiding things, like, ya know. Being some sort of serial killer."

"Lance, relax." Hunk placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe you should try to get to know him." Pidge had a tone to her voice that made Lance stop in his tracks.

Was she mad at him? He couldn't see her face, her body turned away from him. But still, just the way she had said it. She was really coming to Keith's defense, and instantly Lance felt bad. Of course she would get defensive of Keith, he was her best friend. Lance would just as quickly gotten into a fight with anyone, if they'd try to say anything mean about his best friend.

Instantly feeling regret for his words, Lance quickened his steps until he was walking alongside Pidge. Her eyes were focused ahead of her, not even glancing his way when he came to walk beside her.

"I'm sorry."

Brown eyes flickered towards, him, before she gave out a small sigh. Her shoulders drooped, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"Oh, right. I'll just go up to Keith and say 'sorry for thinking you're a psycho murderer." He gave a small laugh, but when she didn't join in, his laughter quickly died off. "Alright, alright. I'll apologize to Keith."

"I think Pidge is right." Lance gave a small jump when Hunk spoke. "You should try getting to know him, maybe hang out with him."

Alright, he agreed that he would give it a try on getting to know Keith. But, just to make the suggestion of hanging out with the guy? The only words they ever really shared was when they were arguing. Lance never walked up to the guy and was like 'hey, what's up?' and now they wanted him to hang out with him. Oh yeah, that would go over great.

'Hey Keith, how about we go grab a slice of pizza and chat.'

The guy would look at him like he was crazy! Not to mention, what were they even suppose to have a conversation about? As far as Lance was aware, he'd never seen Keith flirt with any girls. Sure, they flirted with him. But had he ever dated a girl before? Were they suppose to bond over how many relationships they'd been in? Lance couldn't really talk about motorcycles, since he knew little to nothing about them.

Maybe they could talk about siblings? Keith had an older brother, surely they had some complaints they could make about that. Lance could whine about how Rylie could go through a whole pint of ice cream. Or, how there was almost always a fight over the bathroom in the morning?

Alright, apologize to the guy first. Come up with some sort of topic to talk about. Then, maybe they could bond over pizza. That sounded like a plan in Lance's head. Smiling, he nodded to himself. He could give this whole, becoming friends with Keith thing a try. It was worth a shot at least, and if it failed, he could at least tell Hunk and Pidge that he tried.

Lost in his own thoughts, Lance missed Hunk stopping to hug Pidge, before he was climbing up the stands towards Shay's bag. Pidge eyed Lance due to his silence, but she didn't dare pull him from his thoughts.

"Don't overthink it, Lance."

"Huh?" Blinking back into reality, Lance looked to Pidge.

"I said, don't overthink it." She repeated, her eyes scanning the parking lot once they got closer. "I'm sure you guys can find something to talk about."

"Oh."

There was the sound of a car horn, and both teens looked towards the sound. There sat a beat up looking vehicle, dark green, some of the paint chipping off of the sides and the hood. Lance still thought it looked like a hunk of junk, something Matt should just get rid of. The older boy would never listen to him though, simply ignoring his comments. It was his first car, he'd bought it off a friend for only a few hundred. Aside from looking like absolute shit, the car at least ran, and was in working condition.

"Is this where he quotes something from Mean Girls?" Lance joked.

Pidge gave a snort, walking over to stand by the passenger side of the car. The window came rolling down, her brother leaning over to peer up at her from inside the car. His hair looked almost as wild and untamed as Pidge, and the same golden brown eyes. They could have almost looked like identical twins, but, Lance could see the more maturing lines in the older boy's face.

"Still driving this thing around?" Lance leaned against the side of the car, knocking his knuckles against the top.

"Nice to see you too, Lance." Matt chuckled.

"We're buying a telescope." Pidge cut in, ignoring the two boys. She leaned into the window, sliding halfway into the front so that she could place her laptop in the space between the seats. "I'm not using that tiny thing."

"Hey Matt, how are you? Thanks for picking me up from school." Matt gave an eye roll, which was matched by Pidge's own.

* * *

Keith would deny it, until the day he died, that he'd been a little frightened at the thought of Lance and him being alone together. Sure, hanging around the other male for that short while was fine. But, he had Pidge and Hunk there to keep things from getting awkward. And, he didn't want his favorite spot to be ruined with some sort of petty fight.

It was almost too much of a relief when Lance had followed the other two, claiming some obvious lie of having something to ask Matt. Keith didn't have to know him well enough to tell when someone was trying to get away.

Not like it bothered him in the slightest, it only let him return back to the relaxation of his spot. He'd laid back down in the grass, arms folded behind his head and eyes closing.

The scent was brief, but he could still almost pick up the smell that Lance had left behind. Rolling onto his side, he let his eyes slide open, gaze lingering on the spot the boy had been sitting at previously. Was it weird to say that a smell made you think of a place? While Keith didn't often go to the beach, he could think of the spray of salt water and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. That's what Lance's smell reminded him of, of a beach.

There were a few other scents there too, of the cologne the boy put on, his deodorant.

Man made smells, not his natural scent. Keith hated that, hated the different sorts of smells people covered themselves up with. It made his nose burn, made him want to just distance himself from the overflow of different scents. He liked taking in the natural scent of people, to get a figure of what kind of person they were without gaining a headache from what they covered themselves up with.

Speaking of scents, he could pick one up approaching him. An unknown name, to an unfamiliar student. Keith thought maybe he'd just walk on by, but he was wrong, because the student was walking towards him. Coming to stop a few feet from where he lay. Confused, Keith shifted, slowly pulling himself up until he was standing.

The boy pulled a football helmet off his head, sweat dripping from his blonde hair. Cradling the helmet against his hip, he eyed Keith from head to toe. Something about his look just made Keith's skin crawl, and he was tempted to just walk away before the other male even had the chance to talk.

"That your bike out in the parking lot?" The stranger asked, nodding his head in the direction of the lot.

"Yeah," Keith answered. "What of it?"

He held his hands up in defense, taking notice of Keith's instant hostility. "Nothing man, just a nice bike."

Crossing his arms, Keith didn't say anything else to that. Instead, he raised his eyebrow, waiting to see if the boy had anything more to say, or if he would take the hint and leave. Shifting with uncertainty, the blonde brought his arm up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He wasn't walking away though, and Keith's instincts on fight or flight was leaning towards the latter.

"Sorry, guess I should introduce myself." He took another few steps closer, until he was offering his hand out to Keith. "Samuel, but my friends call me Sam."

Violet eyes flickered down towards the hand held out, but Keith didn't bother taking it. He was sure, if Shiro was here, his brother would have been making a comment about Keith's actions. He'd been trying to talk Keith into making more friends at school, but this wasn't someone he wanted to make friends with. He didn't want to make friends just because his brother asked him to.

He didn't want to make friends, period.

"Yeah, cool."

Sam's hand slowly dropped away, realizing that Keith wasn't going to take his offered hand. Sighing, he searched his brain for something else to say. It was obviously that he didn't at all have Keith's attention, nor did the boy seem any interested in what he had to say.

"I was just interested in what kind of bike it-"

"You're wasting your time." Keith cut him off, his words sharp. "I don't care what you're interested in."

Claiming this conversation done and over with, Keith shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't bother giving Sam a parting word, choosing to just leave in silence. Turning, he moved to leave, figuring it was time he made his way back home. It wasn't like he had to wait for Hunk and Lance to come back, and he really didn't know them as well as Pidge did.

Before he could leave though, there was a hand quickly grabbing a hold of his forearm. It tugged, pulling him to a halt.

"What if I'm interested in you?"

The words made Keith freeze, blood feeling like it was suddenly running ice cold. Sam didn't release his hold on Keith, though, knowing full well that the raven haired teen could easily pull free from his grip.

The words weren't anything Keith had really thought he'd be hearing, especially from someone he knew little to nothing about. He hadn't known his name, was almost positive they had no classes together. Sam had to know little to nothing about him. So how on Earth could he be interested in him? Taking in a deep breath, Keith could pick up the smells of sweat, fading cologne, and Alpha.

"Bullshit," Keith tugged his arm free, turning to glare daggers at Sam. "You are so full of shit."

"I'm serious." Sam stepped closer, too close for Keith. "I've liked you for awhile now."

He must have dropped his helmet at some point when he'd gone to grab at Keith, the item stranded where he'd been previously standing. Both of his hands were free now, one hovering near Keith's arm. He didn't dare try to grab onto him again, but Keith still felt like he was trying to trap him. He was suddenly beginning to feel panicked, though, he knew full well he could outrun this guy.

His pride didn't want him to run away though.

"I also know that you're different, you aren't like the other Alpha's." Sam's eyes flickered with something unfamiliar, and Keith didn't like anything about this. "You're just my type."

' _He knows._ '

Keith didn't like feeling like this, feeling like some deer caught in the headlights of a car. His heart had begun to pound fast in his chest, head screaming that this guy Sam knew something that he'd been trying to keep secret.

"Hey, everything alright here?"

There was a new presence, quickly stepping up to Keith's side, actually, they were almost a step ahead. It was like they were trying to block Keith off from Sam, and he felt relieved at the body between the two of them. Taking quick steps back, Keith found himself looking at the back of Lance McClain.

Wow, well, he wasn't expecting that. Never thought he'd be so glad to see this guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, this chapter was suppose to be posted sometime last week. But, I was having some bad writers block and just couldn't finish anything. Then Klangst week came up, and I was starting to feel a little stressed. But, I managed to get this chapter done! Huzzah! I also was able to get some submissions into Klangst week, which takes a lot of that pressure I put on myself, away.
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! I'm not 100% sure I'm satisfied with the conversations, especially the one where the teens tease Pidge. Was that out of character, or do you guys think it's something they'd jokingly tease her about?


	4. Presentation and Worries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, someway, someone had figured out the secret Keith tried so hard to keep hidden. Lance had been there to save him, but could he share his secret with the Alpha?

Presenting, had never been something that you could plan ahead for. You couldn't just throw some party, in celebration of the world's choice for where you fit in. You just had to wait, with baited breath. Sometimes you could present as soon as you hit puberty, other times, it was your first day of school. Maybe you were heading off to Summer Vacation with family. It came when it felt the time was right, and you just had to roll with whatever Life handed you.

For Keith, it had happened three days after he had turned thirteen.

From the moment he woke, he just felt wrong. Felt like there was something different, something that made that day just feel like it was going to go bad. The heat started first, sweat trickling down his back and just feeling like he was standing in the path of the Sun's rays. He felt hot to the touch, and at first, he'd just figured that maybe he was coming down with a fever.

If it had come to that, he'd just have to take off the following day. One day away from school really wouldn't destroy his grade, and it wasn't like the school faculty would try to send him home if he did come in sick.

But then his stomach felt like it was tangled up in knots, his body continued to feel not his own. Like something was clawing from the inside of his skin, and his body was trying to rid of the intrusion of something not right. He'd been receiving weird stares from his classmates, like they could even tell that something was off with him.

Upon laying her eyes on him, the teacher had taken in a deep whiff of the air, and instantly froze up. She appeared terrified, and wasted little to no time in sending his straight off to the nurse's office. It only made the stares worse, the student's boring into him with their eyes as he walked out of the room and down the hall. His footsteps slow, sluggish, as this illness made him feel more and more like ripping his own skin off.

Hah, if only he'd known what was to come the following days.

An urgent call was made to Mrs. Shirogane, the older woman's voice dropping into a low whisper as she talked to his guardian. She kept shooting concerning looks in his direction, her eyes cautiously watching him. He'd heard her practically demand for Shiro's mother to come pick him up, hissing out the word ' _now_ ' as if she could just summon her out of thin air. 

That was when the panic began to set in, his thoughts suddenly turning towards the question of 'what if?'

Was he dying, was that what all of this fuss was about? He never thought that dying would come like this, especially at such a young age. But, you never really knew when death would come. Just like you never knew when you were going to present. Imagine his surprise when he wasn't dying, but, if anything, it just seemed more worse than dying to him.

The world had decided that Keith Kogane, was going to be an Omega.

He'd have rather died that day.

 

* * *

"Hey, everything alright here?"

There wasn't a single part of him, that had ever thought Lance would come back. Yet, there he was, like some knight in shining armor come to Keith's rescue. He slipped easily between the two teenagers, like a shield for Keith to hide behind. Sam was quickly blocked from his view, and it felt like he could finally breath. Sam hadn't even shown signs of noticing Lance's approach, so both had been caught off guard by his arrival. It was relieving to not have the football player pressing into his space, making Keith feel like the world was closing in around him.

"Oh, hey Lance." Sam greeted, his gaze trying to find Keith, but the boy was hidden behind the taller one. "We were just chatting."

"Yeah?"

It was bullshit, Sam just chatting. The air around him had seemed more like an obvious Alpha, trying to claim something that wasn't his. Keith couldn't find himself able to call out his lie though. But, from the tone of Lance's voice, it appeared that he had already picked up on something when he had approached. He also picked up on the bullshit.

Now, normally, Keith wouldn't have felt so frozen up. Many times in his life, he'd had to face off bullying. It was never easy for him, moving from one foster home to another. He had learned at a young age to hold his ground, to not let the words of others affect him. He had trained himself, until his fists were scarred and bloody, in case he ever needed to defend himself.

This though, had been different. Sam had made it all too clear he knew, and it had shaken Keith to his core. How could you escape the fact that someone, had found out a secret you were trying to hide from the world.

It had been more of a relief when Lance showed up like he did, giving Keith time to actually suck in a deep breath, and breath. His heart rabbiting quick in his chest, and he willed himself to calm. The distance between them was short, and he found himself wondering if Lance could hear it. Hear the way his heart pounded fast and hard. Could he pick up on the panicked uptick of beats, and wonder what had the raven haired boy so frightened?

"What were we chatting about?" Lance inquired.

Keith had been frozen stiff, and still now was uneasily quiet. Lance was trying to get some lead on what had been previously going on, trying to decipher why Keith wasn't acting himself. Violet eyes peeked around him, watching the nonchalant way Sam shrugged his shoulders in answer. He was going to try and play it off, act as if nothing was wrong.

Perhaps he didn't want another Alpha to know, maybe he worried that Lance would also pursue Keith, if he was informed that he was an Omega. Whatever his reasoning, it became clear that he wasn't going to tell Lance. But, there was no telling if he wouldn't tell anyone else, if he'd go brag to his friends that he was going to bag himself an Omega.

Sam turned his back on the two, moving to retrieve the helmet he'd dropped at some point. Picking it up, he brushed his fingers over the hard plastic of the object, clearing away the dirt. "I was checking to see if Keith was hanging out with me later."

Did Lance believe that, or was it obvious that he clearly wasn't checking in on their plans. Lance and Keith may not be best friends, and they weren't even on terms of calling each other friends. But, could he truly think that Keith would be caught hanging out with Sam, outside of school.

Making friends hadn't been easy for him, and he'd learned long ago not to grow attached to anything that may seem permanent. Even to this day, he always anticipated the day when the shoe would drop, and Mrs. Shirogane would realize what she had gotten into, when she had signed the adoption papers and took Keith into her care.

A small movement, and Keith could feel a pair of eyes peering down on him. He couldn't find himself able to look back, his bangs in front of his face, blocking his expression from view. He should speak up, say something in denial of what Sam said, but his mind was still caught up in the shock of why Sam had approached him in the first place.

How long would it take, before his secret spread throughout the school. Would he step through the doors tomorrow, and had every Alpha attempting to claim him as their own little bitch.

Just that thought alone, made him wrap his arms around himself, trying to hide himself away from the two Alpha's in front of him. As a young boy, he had done enough research on presentation and status. Had spent days in the library reading, and listened to some of the stories he picked up from the different homes he would shift to. And to know how society treated Omega's, it made him sick to his stomach.

"Sorry man, Keith and I already got plans."

The statement came as a surprise, Keith's head jerking until his eyes met soft blue ones. Lance was looking back at him, smiling, body relaxed and showing no signs of an aggressive or commanding Alpha. If anything, he was offering help, giving Keith a way out of this situation.

It was strange, coming from Lance. It was like, from day one, the Alpha was always ready to throw a challenge his way. Always seemed to need to one up him, to make sure that if Keith was doing something, he had to do it better. Something had made him dislike Keith, but rather than trying to figure it out and work out the issue, Keith had just fallen for the challenge.

So, why was he now lying about having made plans with Keith. Just the look on his face, as if trying to reassure him. 'Don't worry, everything is going to be alright.' Oddly enough, Keith found himself believing that.

"Oh," Sam's voice brought Lance's attention back to him, turning his head and looking away from Keith. "I didn't know you guys were friends."

'And you thought he'd believe we were friends?' Keith thought with an eye roll.

Lance shrugged, body relaxed as he answered. "We're working on it, more like frenemies right now."

Keith couldn't help but snort, trying to stifle back a bark of laughter. It was the first noise he had made, but really, he hadn't been expecting Lance to answer. Of course, only he would be able to use such a childish word, and make everything sound so simple. The grip of fear on Keith was beginning to seep away, allowing his body to unwind.

Looking way too proud of himself for the reaction he received, Lance was looking back at him. The goofy look on his face made Keith want to roll his eyes, to reach out and shove his face away and comment about the fact he had used the term 'frenemies.'

"Ready to go?"

Finally, Lance was dismissing his conversation with Sam, giving Keith that exit he needed to escape. He was all too willing to take it up, head bobbing before he'd given it much thought. He was ready to just get out of there, to head home and home that the world wouldn't come crashing down tomorrow. For another few days, maybe weeks, he could continue his lie.

A brief touch of fingers, but he quickly flinched away, moving before Lance could fully touch him. The brunet didn't appear offended though, following after Keith with a clam pace as they moved away from Sam and in the direction of the parking lot. It probably wouldn't be until Lance knew Keith was safely on his bike, before they broke off onto their own separate paths.

Tongue darting out to wet his lips, Keith found himself glancing back towards Lance. "Thanks, for that."

They had to be out of ear shot now, and Keith felt it was only right to express his gratitude. He watched where he was going, moving past the bleachers where Hunk was bent over a textbook, still waiting for Shay to finish up practice. With another glance back, he caught the look of surprise on Lance's face. He must have figured Keith wouldn't say anything, or hadn't expected a thanks without some fight.

But, Keith had let those words out, had told him that he was thankful.

"It's no problem." Stretching his arms out and up, over his head, Lance waved it off as if it were nothing. "Anything for a friend."

There was a thin, tan sliver of skin exposed by the motion. Lance not even seeming concerned with the bare skin, muscles flexing as he stretched out his long limbs. Feeling himself caught staring, Keith quickly tore his eyes away, lifting an eyebrow as he instead let his gaze settle on the other boy's face.

"Friend? I'm pretty sure you labeled it as 'frenemies."

"Yeah, well, I also said we were working on it."

 His legs were longer than Keith's, and it only took him a few steps to catch up. The shorter boy could feel the heat of him by his side, could feel those blue eyes watching him. He couldn't help but smile, giving his head a small shake. It weirdly felt easy now, to slip into this friendly conversation with Lance. Usually, they were driving the other one mad within the first set of words.

Maybe, it had something to do with what had just happened. Somehow, they had bonded while trying to get away from Sam. Was that what it took, to get on gentler terms with someone who acted like they loathed the very ground you stood on.

There was no doubt that Lance wanted to know what had happened, and Keith waited for him to question him. To know what had been going on between Sam and Keith, to catch up on what was going on before he showed up. Curiosity had to be getting the best of him, and 

Having longer legs than Keith, it really didn't take long for Lance to catch up with him. Keith could feel the heat of him by his side, could feel his eyes watching him, and he couldn't help but smile and give a small shake of his head. It seemed so easy now, for the two of them to slip into this friendly conversation. So far, neither one was driving the other mad.

Maybe it had something to do with the scene they had just left, that somehow they had bonded while trying to get away from Sam.

Knowing that curiosity had to be getting the best of him, Keith waited for Lance to begin questioning him on what had happened. Wanting to know what the chat was between the two of them, before he had shown up. There was no way that Lance couldn't be curious, didn't want to know what had taken place previously. But, he was quiet, not bombarding the raven with excused on wanting to know what Sam wanted.

How Lance wasn't asking, he didn't know. 

For a few hours though, maybe he could relax, without anyone else finding out about his secret. Maybe, in the mean time, he could come up with something. There had to be something he could do, before everyone became aware that one of the school's known Alpha's was in truth, a rare male Omega.

"You have a helmet stashed away, for that thing?"

Blinking, Keith gave a confused 'huh' to the question aimed his way, before following Lance's finger as he pointed towards the bike. Still standing where he'd left it that morning, Keith's eyes scanned over the vehicle. A birthday gift from Shiro's parents, something that meant more than anything to him. They'd gifted him with a small chance at freedom, something of his own that could take him anywhere he wanted. He'd put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it. It was hard to believe it once looked like it would fall apart at the first jerk of motion.

"Worried?" He asked, a teasing tone in his voice.

"Well, what are we suppose to tell your parents when you smash your face into the asphalt?"

Lance was actually worried, and it was clear in the fact he wanted to know if Keith had a helmet. He tried not to let it show that the word parents had an affect on him, instead, moving so that he could stand by the motorcycle. Squatting down, he cupped the padlock in one hand, the other twisting the dial until with a satisfying click, it was free.

He'd been more referring to Shiro's parents, who had been kind enough to take Keith in when he was ten. Young enough to still be in the foster system, but old enough to know when he'd been abandoned and that no one could give him the love he deserved. Mrs. and Mr. Shirogane tried hard, had put a roof over his head, clothes on his back, and a bed to sleep in. But, he knew that as he grew older, he was only becoming more and more of a hassle to the elder couple. Shiro had been accepting from the start, but Keith also knew his acceptance would soon turn to disdain.

Without an answer, Keith moved to mount the machine. Lance still stood close by, hands in the pockets of his jeans, eyes gazing away. He was shifting from one foot to the other, and Keith wondered why he hadn't started walking away.

"Something on your mind?"

Normally, he wouldn't care. He could have just pushed the vehicle into motion, and left Lance. Instead, he found himself questioning Lance on why he was still standing there, why he hadn't gone off on his way. It was stupid, for him to be even a bit concerned on if Lance wanted to ask something, or if there was other things going on in that head of his.

Blue eyes quickly turned back onto Keith, eyeing the boy sitting there, who was waiting for an answer. A grin slowly spread across his face, before he was shaking his head. "Nah, I was just thinking."

Before he could ask anything more of him, Lance was turning away from Keith, throwing a hand up as he walked away.

"See ya later, Mullethead."

* * *

Easing the bike into a stop, Keith brought a hand up to push hair out of his face, eyes taking in the small one story home. It might not have screamed much, to any stranger walking by, but for the last five years, this was home to him. It was an upgrade to the last house, the Shirogane's had owned, where he had to bunk in the same bedroom as Shiro. Now he had his own private room, where he could hide away and just be by himself.

There was a well tended garden in front of one of the windows, a different variety of flowers adding more color to the yard. He took notice of another new addition, something Mrs. Shirogane must have brought home from work.

At his arrival, he was greeted by a deep 'whuff', before something small and black was descending the porch steps. It almost tripped on itself a few times, but that didn't stop it until it was by Keith's side. Huffing and wheezing already, the dog twisted and turned by his feet, sometimes jumping up and placing it's front paws into his thigh. Keith reached down, allowing the dog to lick at his hand until it was satisfied.

"Duke, sit." Keith commanded.

Blinking big brown eyes up at him, Duke sat for only a minute, before he was up again. He gave one final lick to the hand stretched out to him, before quickly moving back to where he'd been previously sitting. Mrs. Shirogane hadn't moved from her spot, only smiling as she watched the animal go to greet the child she had taken in. Allowing the dog to jump up onto her lap, she ran her hands over it's back until Duke had settled.

"I don't know why he pretends, it's obvious he likes you the most."

The woman chuckled at Keith's words, watching him guide the motorcycle up the driveway. In her mid-fifty's, she didn't appear to be that old. There were a few aging lines along her mouth, and a few stray gray hairs had streaked through her dark hair. But her age didn't stop her, never gave her pause in going about her life as she normally would.

"Duke likes you too, Keith." She told him, her hand rubbing along the whiskered jaw of the terrier. "Always waiting by the door for you boys."

"He's a good actor."

Scooping the dog into her arms, the older woman pushed herself to her feet. Her bare toes wiggled against the breeze, and then clung to the top step as she waited for Keith. Once his bike was safely tucked away against the side of the house, tarp thrown over it to protect it from the weather, did he approach her. One step up and he was in her reach, allowing her to grab the back of his head and pull him forward. Duke gave a small whine at all the motion, but continued to allow her to hold him to her chest.

Fingers stroking through Keith's dark hair, the woman pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Welcome home."

This was how she always greeted him, when he came back from school or anywhere else. Always needed to give him some gentle touch, always a 'welcome home' for him. It was like she was trying to reassure him, was always letting him know that 'yes, this is home. Yes, you are always welcome here.' and he never rejected it. Always relaxed in the knowing that there was something to return to.

Smiling, Keith wrapped one of his arms around the woman's middle, taking in her comforting scent.

It wouldn't be until later in the day, when Keith was alone and allowed his thoughts to wander, that his anxiety would take over. To give into the fear that soon he would return to his loneliness, that the Shirogane's would realize the mistake they had made, seven years ago. They would show their love now, would welcome him with open arms. But at one point, they would regret their decision in bringing him into their lives.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, probably a shorter chapter than the last. As always, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this chapter. Maybe later I'll regret what I wrote, but hey, for now, here it is!


	5. Waiting For The Shoe To Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wouldn't call it a bonding moment, but Lance coming to his rescue did give him a better viewpoint on the Alpha. It was a small step towards a friendship, something that neither saw coming. "Wanna hang out?" was never words he would have expected to come from Lance's mouth.

The days that followed the scene went by quickly, and soon a week had passed. Then another week went by. Classes continued on the same, and the students went on their daily lives as normal. Nothing was different, nothing had changed. Yet Keith always arrived with dread building in his gut, waiting for the first Alpha to approach.

Would they instantly bring up his lie, expose him out to all in the hallways. 'Here he is, ladies ans gentlemen. Here is the Omega pretending to be an Alpha.'

Fear, was an understatement at this point. He was outright terrified of what could happen next, wondering how the student body would react to the discovery. Would they treat him differently, like his status made him weaker.

The fact everything remained the same, that no one had brought it up made him cautious. No one was questioning why he was lying, so had Sam not told anyone his secret yet? It should have been a relief, to know that everyone may still be in the dark about it. But, Sam still had that information about him. He could just as easily spread out a massive text to the school, and out him within seconds.

When would it happen then, when would his life flip upside down.

"Hey Keith."

The greeting shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did, and yet he was jumping back as if burned. The movement was quick, and the result was the impact of a textbook to the face. He gave a curse, pain spreading from where the book hit.

He brought his free hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose, violet eyes glaring at the offending object. He should have been more weary on his surroundings, should have seen his friends approach.

Pidge had a look of shock on her face, eyes wide behind round frames. She hadn't expected him to be so jumpy, to get such a reaction out of a simple greeting. Eyeing the reddening space between his eyes, she reached out to lay a comforting hand on his arm.

"Shit, I'm sorry Keith." She apologized.

It had become more aware something was off, that something was on his mind the past few days. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know when your best friend wasn't acting like their usual self. There was something wrong, and she could only hope he knew he could come to her, if he needed some help.

There wasn't going to be any pressure, she wasn't going to try and force the answers from him. But, she hoped he wouldn't try to shut her out of a part of his life. Like he had to figure it all out on his own.

"It's fine, my own fault." He shrugged off her touch, holding his textbook to his chest as he closed his locker. "Just, not all that awake I guess."

More like his focus wasn't entirely on school, mind drifting off somewhere else. "You've been like this for days, Keith."

She was providing him with an opening, a chance for him to tell her what was wrong. He didn't take the chance, shaking his head and not prompting that part of the conversation any more. Fine, she'd let it go for now.

Eyeing in his appearance, she took note of the careless way he'd thrown his hair into a messy bun. There were dark bags forming under his eyes, probably losing more and more sleep as his worries took more of a hold on him. It made her bite at her lip, afraid of how much this was truly affecting him. It had to have his family on edge too, wanting to know what was troubling the young man.

Pidge was surprised Matt wasn't bombarding her with texts, questions from Shiro as if he figured she'd have all the answers. She would have come up empty handed anyway, just as clueless as the older male was about Keith.

He'd started to push his way through students, on his way towards class. Pidge had to squeeze between others as she made to follow after him, trying to stick close to him so that she didn't have to yell over classmates for him to hear her.

"So, I think I figured out how to get my telescope." she was striking up a new topic.

"And it doesn't involve whoring yourself out?"

That gained a few looks, some heads turning to stare wide eyed at the two friends. Pidge automatically wanted to hide inside her hoodie, trying to ignore the probing looks. She could feel the heat on her face, a dark blush spreading over her cheeks. Part of her wanted to reach up and thwack him on the back of the head.

"Without whoring myself out." she huffed.

She was fine with the playful banter, with her friends joking about something as ridiculous. Because they knew she really wouldn't do it, that she could have come up with thousands of other ways without once having to take her clothes off. But, when it was joked aloud, around all these bystanders.

They looked at her with wide eyed surprise, as if they actually believed that Katie Holt would whore herself out. Like they hadn't already realized that she was 100% not interested in ever getting naked for anyone.

'I'd rather gouge my eyes out, or cut off a limb.'

Pidge knew an attractive person when she saw one, but sex and getting a boyfriend - or girlfriend - had never been her top list of priorities. She'd rather spend her nights coding until her fingers cramped and her relatives had to practically peel her off of her laptop.

Unlike a majority of the students at Altea High, her goal wasn't to see who got to third base first.

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

"Whenever the cheer-leading squad needs uniforms or whatever, they usually hold a bake sale or a car wash, right?" when he nodded his head in confirmation, she continued. "So what if we did something like that? Bake cookies or cupcakes and sell them around school."

"We. As in?" He motioned his hand between the two of them.

Pidge shook her head no. "We, as in the two of us, plus Lance and Hunk."

He gave a sharp laugh, reaching up to card his fingers through some loose strands of hair. There was something in her plan he didn't like, or maybe found ridiculous. Maybe he just didn't like the plan at all. Crossing her arms, she shot him a look. It was becoming more and more tempting to give him a smack on the back of the head.

"If it's about Lance-"

"Lance and I are fine, Pidge." Keith cut her off quickly. "I just find it hilarious that you think the two of us can bake cupcakes."

"We can bake, it shouldn't be that hard."

"Lance and Hunk can bake, you make lumpy rocks."

 There was a denial on the tip of her tongue, but even she knew that he was right. The last time she'd tried to bake something, it had ended up looking like one side of it was trying to melt off. She had tried to prod it with a fork, but the utensil hadn't even been able to pierce through a layer. In the end, she had ended up calling Shiro's girlfriend to come and help her in the attempts of making another.

Help, as in the woman made Pidge sit to the side and converse with her while she went through the entire process. Her cake had come out looking 10 times better, filling the Holt kitchen with it's delicious smell. She had even decorated it with the icing Pidge had picked out, and allowed the teenager to write out 'Happy Birthday' on the top of the cake.

But, Keith was right. When it came to baking, Pidge was useless.

"Well, what about you?"

He ran a hand over his face, coming to a pause outside of his classroom. The first bell had gone off, but he still had until the second bell before he was to enter the room. Pidge's classroom was close-by, so she didn't have to worry about making a mad rush to get in before she was marked as late. Besides, most of the teachers in the school loved her. She could probably get away with being late by a minute or two.

"I don't bake." He stated. "Even if I did, it would probably come out worse than yours."

Alright, fine. So the two of them were terrible in the kitchen, but still, surely Lance and Hunk would help her out. How many times had they helped them out with their own issues, or when they needed something. She was sure she could easily persuade them into helping her out with this. Taking notice of the wicked glint in her eyes, Keith knew that she wasn't going to give up just because the two of them couldn't bake.

With a sigh, he shifted, ready to duck into the classroom. "Go over it with the school board first."

"Yeah yeah, I will." She watched him step into the class, before turning to head towards her own.

* * *

As another week slipped on by, Keith was facing it more and more like a ticking time bomb, ready to blow at any minute. Still, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The closer they got to Friday, the more the students seemed to relax. They were excited for the last day of school, for the weekend to start and to get away from teachers and homework. To spend their time doing something more enjoyable then sit in a classroom and take in information.

Keith was looking forward to the weekend just as much as his fellows, to be able to not worry about some Alpha approaching him. And, he had to take this weekend to get prepared for the upcoming week.

The month of September was coming to a close, and October would soon be upon them. October mean't the weather would get cooler, the leaves of the tree's would lose their green and begin to take a more orange or red hue. Shops would begin to put out their Halloween items, and soon the halls would be filled with their plans for the holidays. What costume they were wearing this year, who was throwing a party, did anyone want to do something for Mischief Night?

His plans weren't for Halloween, but more towards the week marked on his calendar. He had remembered eyeing the doomed day marked, sure that his body would be giving him warning signs soon. By Monday, he would be getting the school work he would miss for the next five to six days, and then spend the rest of that day just hoping that it would be a quick heat.

Keith hated his heats, hated how vulnerable he was left feeling as he whined and begged. How his whole room would fill with the scent of his activities, working himself into unfulfilled orgasm after orgasm.

He hated being an Omega in general.

The Shirogane's usually made themselves scarce that week, having helped him schedule the day to work out for all of them. Shiro would stop by before the week started, would stock the younger male up with snacks and cases of bottled water. He would make sure that while Keith was locked away, the boy was still able to keep himself fed and hydrated in between. After that, the older boy would leave the house. Either he'd stay at his girlfriend's house, or he would crash at Pidge's place with her family.

Once he had offered to leave the house during his heats, feeling like he was kicking Shiro out of his own home. The family had fought him tooth and nail though, wanting him to stay there.

'Where will you go, Keith? You can't think you can just go to a hotel or something for these things. There are terrible people out there, and what if something happens to you?' Mrs. Shirogane's voice had been laced with fear, afraid of the possibilities. Mr. Shirogane had put his foot down there, almost sounding like a threat when he told Keith that he wasn't leaving the house.

They were such an understanding family, a loving family. They looked out for each other, and it was harder and harder for Keith not to put more trust into them. As often as he told himself not to grow attached to the Shirogane's, he couldn't help it. They'd shown so much love and care for him, to someone who wasn't even related to them by blood.

A clatter brought him out of his thoughts, eyes shifting up to look at where big brown one's stared down at him. Hunk stood across from him, having placed his lunch tray down onto the table. "Can we join you guys?" He asked.

Hunk's focus was more on Keith, than Pidge. Next to the larger boy stood Lance, his own lunch tray held in his hands as he scanned their surroundings. Trying to act nonchalant, as if he wasn't also waiting for the approval to sit. Keith knew Pidge wouldn't have cared if they sat or not, and that was why Hunk was looking at him and not her. They were waiting for him to speak.

"Go for it," he murmured, shrugging his shoulders.

It wasn't like anyone else was joining them at the table, him and Pidge the only usual occupants. Taking the invitation, Hunk moved to sit down across from him. Lance set his own tray down, before also going to sit. The two boys settled down next to each other, and Pidge looked up to smile at them. Hunk was already grinning from ear to ear the moment Keith gave his okay, and seemed even more happy now that the four of them were sitting together.

He didn't understand why it was some big feat, it wasn't like they had marked the table and were chasing any and all who approached away. But then, people probably just assumed they were unapproachable.

Or at least, Keith was. He would often shoot a look towards anyone, and it was like any attempts to sit were already shot down by his body language. Especially during the last few weeks, his glares sharper and posture more tense. The incident with Sam had made him more jumpy, and on guard to anyone who had approached him.

Violet eyes sought out the Alpha in question, trying to locate Sam in the crowd of students. He was doing it more and more, trying to find him and make sure there was enough distance between the two of them. He didn't want Sam to approach again, to make his intentions more known than he already did.

"What's up guys?" Lance asked, blue eyes looking from Pidge to Keith.

Keith looked towards Lance as he spoke, face scrunching up at the question asked. Rather than using words, he motioned with his fork towards his lunch tray. It's as if he were saying 'well, isn't it obvious?'. Lance picked up the words, and narrowed his eyes at him. "Yeah, I realize you're eating, but what else is going on in your life?"

What else was going on in his life?

Let's see, some Alpha in their school had figured out he was hiding the fact he was an Omega. He was becoming more and more paranoid, waiting for something to happen. But, he couldn't really voice those thoughts aloud, not without making the rest of the table worried about him. Pidge had already been hinting she knew he was acting different, and was making it known he could talk to her if he needed.

As happy as he felt, to have someone like her in his life, Keith didn't want to burden her with his problems. No, he would settle this on his own. He would find some way to make sure Sam kept quiet, and that no one else figured out his secret.

He could look out for himself.

"Are you guys free this weekend?" Pidge asked, ignoring Lance's question.

Humming around the spoon in his mouth, Hunk released it with an audible 'pop'. Setting the utensil down onto his tray, he turned his head so that he could look at the boy at his side. Lance looked a little offended that both Keith and Pidge blew off his question, but the look didn't stay long. Meeting his friends gaze, Lance let his head slowly bob in a nod.

"Great, alright, I had this idea."

Going into detail about her telescope plans, Keith found himself zoning out of it. It wasn't like he had already heard it, and he'd already voiced to her his opinions. The talk right now was more between the three of them, and he wouldn't but into it now. Instead, he focused on his lunch, fork stabbing at a piece of grilled chicken.

While he ate, his eyes would flicker across the table, taking in the reactions of the other two boys. Hunk already seemed to be settled in on helping Pidge, nodding his head enthusiastically with everything she said. And while Lance didn't appear as excited, he didn't look like he was instantly going to say no. If Pidge got the alright from the staff, there was no doubt that these two would help her out.

And, even if he said he couldn't bake, she would find a way to convince him to help out. Either way, there was just no fighting it.

"Are we going to do it this weekend?" Hunk asked, wiping at his mouth with the back of his arm. "I need to buy ingredients."

Pidge shook her head no, "Not yet."

Her food was forgotten now, or she was no longer hungry. Pushing her own tray to the side, she set down one of her notebooks. Flipping through the pages, she stopped once she came across a blank page. All eyes at the table were watching her now, as she retrieved a pencil and began to write things out. Keith waited, eyebrows raising as he looked at the different words written out.

Vanilla, Chocolate, Red Velvet, Carrot Cake, Cheesecake.

"Ooh, put down Banana Split!"

"Everyone loves Blueberry."

"What about Nutella? That's something everyone is into."

Catching on quickly, Lance and Hunk began to shout of different flavors. Each idea being written down, until the page was almost completely filled with different cupcake flavors. It was a little shocking to see just how many flavors there were, or what they could come up with. Some of them were questionable, sounding like something that should never be found in a cupcake.

Mint Chocolate Chip, Tiramisu, Coconut Rum. Were these actual flavors?

"Piña Colada Cupcakes?" He found himself asking.

"Oh my god, you have to try them Keith!" Lance grinned, blue eyes bright as he looked at him from across the table. "You'd think, for cupcakes, they wouldn't be that great. But seriously, they are heaven!"

"You made them over the Summer, right?" Hunk piped in.

Lance nodded, but his attention was still on Keith. "No, really Keith, you have to try one."

It wasn't like Lance was pressuring him, and it wasn't like he would be forced to eat one. But, he couldn't help but nod his head yes. It was strange to see Lance so excited, looking eager to have him try one of these cupcakes. The tan boy was smiling, and that smile only grew wider when Keith nodded. Reaching across the table, his laid his hand against Keith's arm. The touch had his heartbeat speeding, feeling the heat of the Alpha coming off from his touch.

"Would you want to come hang out later?"

At first, Keith thought that maybe he had imagined it. The words just didn't sound right, being directed at him. Lance and him weren't that close of friends, and he hadn't really been expecting Lance to invite him over out of the blue. The touch on his arm was still there, blue eyes settled on him.

His mind began to panic, thinking that maybe his secret wasn't so secret anymore. What if Lance had gone to question Sam, had gotten the information out of the other Alpha. Was that why he wanted to hang out with him now, outside of the school? Did he just want to beat every other Alpha.

Lance took notice of the different emotions playing on Keith's face, and his smile slowly drooped into a frown. Shifting his hand away from the other boy, he went to rub awkwardly at the side of his neck. "Sorry, I just.. I figured maybe I could let you try one."

Great, now Keith was feeling bad. Lance looked like a wounded puppy, having shrunk back in his seat. With a sigh, Keith shook his head. While the thought of going over to Lance's still set warning bells off in his head, he had to give it more thought. Lance had never acted like other Alpha's, and aside from Shiro, Keith had found it hard to run into an Alpha who wasn't trying to show off his dominance over everyone else.

Lance wouldn't do that, Lance wasn't going to force Keith into anything.

"It's fine," Keith's voice was soft, trying to calm down both his and Lance's worries. "I'll come over."


	6. We Had A Bonding Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's not ever sure what made the words come spilling out of his mouth, but now here they are. And all he can think of is the different scenarios that can happen once they stop through that door. His siblings are embarrassing, his mother is even more embarrassing. There's no doubt in his mind that he's going to want to crawl away into some ditch, hide until he can move out of his parents place.
> 
> But that smile, that is something he'd treasure.

Lance had to freeze here.

With the two of them standing here, in front of Lance's childhood home, it wasn't until now that the realization dawned on him. He was here, at his home, with the person who he had been claiming his Rival for the last few years. Now, he didn't want to blame his full excitement for ending up here. The words had just been blurted out, without any second thought.

At least, he hadn't had any second thoughts about it when he threw the suggestion.

But, it wasn't like he had thought Keith would honestly say yes. The two of them were always butting heads, always trying to one up each other. Keith should have instantly rejected just the thought of the two of them hanging out. Outside of school, the two of them, without their usual crowd of friends to keep everything peaceful.

Perhaps, this had something to do with the Sam situation. Maybe, that moment had sent their life spiraling into a new direction. Could they be finally making some sort of truce, setting their differences aside and settling onto some friendship? It was a strange thought, to think that one day, Keith and Lance could become friends. Then again, there were always worse things that could happen to him.

A friendship with Keith Kogane, that was the last of his worries.

"Well, here we are." His voice cracks, but he tries to play it off, his hand gesturing in front of him to the door.

Wow, he's suddenly feeling very nervous about this. He peeked over his shoulder, his blue eyes taking in the dark haired boy. He started to wonder, what could be going on in Keith's head right now? Could he be cruel enough to judge the outside of the home, second guessing his choice in coming with him to his house. This was beginning to look more and more like a bad idea, bringing Keith so suddenly.

He's comparing his home to the Shirogane's, knowing that while his home is larger, to accommodate so many people, the one Keith lives in is more.. Well, they have more money to spend and don't have to worry about having so many mouths to feed. It's not anyone's fault, and Lance isn't trying to say he's unhappy with where he lives, or how many people live in this house. It's just, Keith probably has more luxuries.

It's really stupid of him to be having these thoughts, because he should be happy with the things he has. He's got a roof over his head, clothes on his back, and food on the table. Still, he can't help but think that the Shirogane's have nicer things. Recalling a previous conversation with Pidge, where the girl had been telling him and Hunk about how nice the graphics on her game looked on Mr. Shirogane's 70 inch television. He had felt jealous back then, thinking of how nice it would be to have a TV that size.

His mother taught him better, he knows that.

"-Lance?"

There's a flurry of movement in front of his face, a hand waving in front of it, bringing him out of his thoughts. He can feel his cheeks heating up, a blush spreading across his face. He'd been more worried about what Keith was thinking of his house, that he had begun to let his mind wander. He'd almost forgotten just where they were.

He shuffles closer to the door, fingers wrapping around the door handle. Has it always been this slippery?

The two quickly pick up different sounds once the door opens, Lance's family already filling the silence that would have engulfed the two. He can hear loud laughter from the upper floor, the pounding of footsteps. There's no doubt it's the twins. In the direction of the living room, he can hear music, low enough to also pick up the sound of his mother humming along to whatever is playing. And while he can't hear anything to indicate where they are, he's sure that Julian and his older sister have to be somewhere else in the house.

The volume of the music is turned down more, until Lance just barely hear the words being spoken. His mother must have heard the front door open, because soon her voice can be heard. "Lance, is that you?" she calls.

"Yes Ma!"

Should he stop to introduce Keith to his mother, or just quickly usher the other boy into the kitchen. Now that he's thinking about it, Lance isn't even sure if they have the ingredients for the type of cupcakes the two of them were going to make. With a wave of his hand, he's leading Keith into the direction of the kitchen. He really should have thought this over more, because he doesn't know what he's going to say if they don't have what is needed.

'Whoops, maybe next time?'

Yeah right, if Keith didn't dislike him before, it wouldn't be surprising if he did after Lance brought him all the way here for nothing. Maybe, they could find something else to do. But, he really doesn't know what the two of them have in common. Does Keith like video games? Lance never really asked him about any of his interests, and he was never interested enough to ask Pidge for information about her best friend.

Maybe, he could get to know him. Figure out if maybe the two of them did have some common interests.

There's no surprise that the family is close, the hallway lined with different knick knacks and items that just scream a close knit family. Photographs line the walls, from baby photos to family gatherings. His sister's graduation photo sits on a small shelf by the stairs. The shelf has a few albums full of photos, recipe books, and other types of reading material. There's an empty space next to the framed photo, already a place where Mrs. McClain plans on putting the other graduation photos. His will be next, if he can make it through this last year of High School.

Since they've entered the home, Keith hasn't spoken a word. It's beginning to worry Lance more, and he's suddenly feeling a tiny bit embarrassed about walking through the house.

Normally, he's never this embarrassed about his family. He loves them all with every inch of his heart, and knows he would do anything to keep his family together. But, he's starting to feel like he has to hide Keith away before one of his relatives spot him. There is no way that is happening.

He's almost surprised they made it this far, before his mother exits the living room. He flinches at the sound of a gasp, her short leg's quick to catch her up before the two of them can reach their destination. "Lance, why didn't you tell me you were bringing over company?!"

Turning slowly, he see's that his mother has already cut off Keith before he could try hiding in another room. Standing by his mother, Lance is almost surprised at just how small Keith appears. Sure, he knew the guy was shorter than him, but he just looks even smaller now in the attention of Mariana. She's already got her hand held out to him, introducing herself while at the same time scolding her son. She didn't have the house ready for guests, he should have warned her, etc etc.

Keith honestly looks like a deer caught in the headlights, moving in jerky, robotic like movements as he awkwardly takes her hand. He seems to stiffen up when she pulls him into a bone crushing hug, his violet eyes going big.

The woman hasn't even seemed to take notice of his reactions, simply going on and on as she continues to talk. Maybe Lance should do something, stop this before she ends up scaring Keith away.

"Ma, we were planning on using the kitchen, if that's okay."

His words cut off her chatter, and she finally relaxes her grip on Keith. He takes a few tentative steps back, as if he's worried that she may pull him back in for another hug. It's a funny thought, to think that Keith is afraid of Lance's mother. She's only about five feet tall, smelling like Lavender. The worst she could do to Keith, is move his hair out of his face. Or make him sit down and look at family pictures.

"Oh?" Her gaze turns, pointedly looking at Lance now. "And what are you planning on using my kitchen for?"

Lance feels like a suspect for murder, sat down with a bright light shining in his face as his mother interrogates him for information. He glances just quickly towards Keith, who looks like he wants to be anywhere but here right now.

It's not like they are doing anything wrong, just making cupcakes.

If they have the right ingredients.

"We were uh, going to make cupcakes."

His words sound more like he's questioning it, then stating their intentions. Mrs. McClain crosses her arms, eyebrow raising as she continues to stare him down. He's feeling just a little guilty, because maybe he should have brought it up with her before just suddenly inviting over Keith. But, to state it again, he hadn't really thought that Keith would agree to this sudden visit.

Turning her head, she then eyes Keith. Quickly, his head bobs in agreement to Lance's words. Lance is just a little thankful that he isn't the only one feeling targeted right now. Sighing, the woman's stance begins to relax, her eyes looking much softer as she continues to look at the two of them.

"Alright, alright." Smiling, she turns to return to the living room. "Don't make a mess."

It's a teasing warning, that fills his heart with warmth. His mother was never strick with her children, it was like she just knew what to do the moment she had them. He couldn't recall a time where his mother never seemed like she was clueless on what to do when it came with raising her children. Even with her first child, his older sister, he was always told that she was a calm baby. There had never been any problems when his mother was raising her, and there hadn't been any with the following children.

Keith doesn't question about her words, and Lance simply smiles before gesturing his head towards the direction of the kitchen. Might as well get this over with now, now that his mother's approved of them using the room.

* * *

 

It would have thrown anyone off guard, when Keith had texted Shiro that he was going to Lance McClain's house.

For years, they'd been caught up in this strange rivalry at school. It wasn't obvious that Lance disliked him, and had to try and one up him at everything. He had to aim for better grades, needed to be praised more, wanted to have all eyes on him. There was no exact date on when this had started, and Keith was never completely sure what he'd done to bring this on.

Suddenly, they were here, in this moment now.

Lance's home was warm and inviting, like you were stepping into your own home. Gentle latin music drifted in from the living room, followed by the soft singing of the brunet's mother. It had caught him by surprise when the woman had pulled him into a hug, as if she were greeting someone she had known all of her life. He hadn't really known how to respond, still wasn't sure how to respond to her friendliness.

The kitchen was even more obvious of how tight knit of a family the McClain's were. There were magnet's on the refrigerator, hanging up photos and report cards. A framed drawing hung a little crooked on one of it's sides, and there was an award written out on a piece of paper, with a name he didn't recognize. One of Lance's siblings, he had to guess.

"Now, it's been awhile since I've made any cupcakes." Lance begun, moving over towards the counters and ducking down so that he could root in a bottom cabinet. "Honestly, Hunk was the last person to bake cupcakes in here."

Keith nodded his head along, really unsure what to do with himself now.

Would it be too quick of him to assume, by just going over and sitting himself down at the table? Maybe he could lean against the counter, but he just felt like that would be a little weird of him to do anyways. Surely, how he was now, standing by the doorway with his arms crossed, didn't really scream that he was comfortable being here either.

He felt really uncertain with himself right now, wondering if this had been a good idea. The invitation was nice enough of Lance to offer, but it didn't really calm down his nerves. It just seemed suddenly suspicious, that Lance would invite him over.

'Why exactly did I even agree to this?' He questioned himself.

A bag of flour was pulled out of the cabinet, set up onto the counter before Lance continued his search for the other ingredients. Keith shifted uncomfortably, eyes scanning the room.

He was a few seconds from canceling, from coming up with some lie where he was needed home. He would feel bad for lying, but he should have really thought this over. Should have just said no when Lance asked him to come over.

"Can I be honest with you dude?" Lance spoke up, turning to look at Keith. "I might not have all the ingredients for these cupcakes."

Maybe, he should have been mad with the confession. Should have realized the time wasted coming here, if Lance hadn't even been sure they had the ingredients. But, Keith couldn't find any anger in him. In fact, he couldn't help give out a tiny chuckle as Lance admitted that.

The sound surprised Lance, who was waiting for the other boy to stomp out of the room. He watched, as Keith brought his hand up to stifle down his giggles.

"Should have probably thought this through." Lance said, sheepishly looking at the bag of flour.

"Think so?" Keith raised an eyebrow, but the smile remained on his face.

The atmosphere seemed to change around them, lightening up and making them feel less uncomfortable around each other. Keith's nerves died down, enough for him to enjoy this. Sure, they couldn't make the cupcakes, but things didn't seem so tense around them anymore.

Not needing the flour anymore, Lance moved to put it back into the cabinet. He would have suggested another flavor, but there was no knowing if they had the ingredients for those either.

"Would you want to, uh, play a game or something?" He offered.

It had been a shock already for Keith to agree to coming here in the first place, and so Lance really wasn't holding his breath on him agreeing to this. He'd only agreed to coming over to make cupcakes, and now that they couldn't, he could always just leave.

But he nodded his head, and the smile on his face was making Lance's heart pound faster in his chest.

"Sweet, alright!" In a flurry of movement, Lance grabs a hold of Keith's arm, tugging him out of the room.

As they begin to climb up the stairs, Lance releases his hold on Keith. He's now listing games off of his fingers, talking nearly a mile a minute. Keith smiles as he listens, surprised with how Lance can go on and on without losing breath.

As they reach the top, he can hear voices down the hall. There's a door, open, where he can hear two small voices. They stop at the sound of Lance, and then there's a head poking out from around the corner, blue eyes peering down and landing on the two of them.

It's a small girl, with long golden brown hair braided over her shoulder. Her eyes watch them with curiosity, before she's turning her head and saying something.

Soon, there's another girl, coming up to peer over the other girls shoulder. She's the same height, with the same face shape and looks. The only difference is her hair, cut into a short, pixie cut.

"Lance!" The new girl calls out, cutting him off.

He pauses in what he's about to say next, attention now grabbed by the two girls.

The long haired one quickly darts out, bare feet running across the carpeted floor as she jumps into her brothers arms. The two siblings are laughing, Lance lifting the girl up off her feet to hug her small body to his chest.

The girl with the shorter hair is more cautious, eyeing Keith first, probably curious about the stranger standing in their home. But, there's a smile on her face when her brother reaches out to ruffle a hand through her hair.

"How are my little angels?" Lance asks.

At once, the two are talking, describing their day to Lance. Keith gives a small smile, taking a step back away from the siblings. He suddenly feels like he's intruding, like he shouldn't be here to witness this.

A door down the hall opens, and there's a boy stepping out, looking to be closer to their age then the girls are. He leans against the door frame, arms crossing as he looks at everyone in the hall.

Keith has seen this boy at school, feels a little bit relieved at one familiar face. Still, it's feeling very strange for him to be here.

"Girls, can't you see Lance has a guest over." Julian speaks up, eyes glancing to Keith. "One he hasn't bothered to introduce."

It's like the girls suddenly realize that he's there, two sets of big blue eyes focusing in on the dark haired stranger. Shifting uncomfortably under their gazes, Keith meets Lances eyes. His smile is soft, his body appearing warm and inviting.

He's never given Keith a look like that, and it sets off every alarm in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me this long to update, I've had some issues come up and it had me a bit distracted. Not to mention the various writing week events that would happen on Tumblr that I wanted to take part in.. but never got around to it. Anyways, enjoy!


	7. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an update

Hey guys, sorry it's been some time since I've last updated this fanfic. Do not worry, I have not abandoned it, and I don't hope to just leave it in the middle with no completion. Honestly, I had chapter seven almost about halfway written until I hit a point where I was just stuck. It felt like, what I had written, had basically already been said in previous chapters. It was like I was just repeating, with only a tiny bit of a continuation towards the plot line.

So, I plan on going back from chapter one, and slowly rewriting until I get to a point where I'm more pleased with what has been written so far. I'm only hoping to change small, very little changes, so you guys don't have to go back from the beginning to figure out where the story is going. If you've made it this far, you should just be able to pick up where you've left off.

Thank you for being patient with me, you guys are always what pushes me to write more.

Banseeava

**Author's Note:**

> This story hasn't been beta read, so any mistakes found are my own, and I'll kick my arse later when I spot them. Enjoy, and thank you for reading!


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